The Score Magazine - Archive December 2016 issue! | Page 39

AMOGH RAO
Spud in The Box : Lead Feet Paper Shoes
All the hype around the
new Spud In The Box album
seems to be truly legitimate,
with a brand new direction
for the band’s music on so
many levels. After years
of indie folk and relatively
straight forward music
repeatedly coming our way,
these tracks have completely
redefined their sound, and
in a good way.
Drown In does exactly what its name intends, with one
minute of brilliantly produced anticipation and build up.
Whoever’s behind mastering this track definitely deserves a
pat on the back.
Bullet Points seems like a lot going on vocally, especially
while trying to keep up with busy instruments in the
background. That being said, everything about this track
makes you focus on multiple layers at once and that’s almost
always a good experience.
Institute Of Madness, whether intentional or not, seems to
be very deceptively named. The only madness in the song
is how captivating a bluesy, chill track can potentially get.
A swinging, folky vibe makes you want to replay those five
minutes over and over while downing your coffee. Extra
points for all those well-placed harmonies.
Use Your Words had more of the conflicting ideas
taking place simultaneously, and again they fit together
unnaturally well thanks to some tasteful vocals. It does feel
a little repetitive considering the nature of the song, but
one kink doesn’t take away from the track’s experience.
The proactive bass and bossa nova feel in Highs And Lows
definitely induces a tropical feel, although it does get twisted
around with some tone heavy lead guitar.
Hold Your Horses Closer brings a wonderful freshness to the
album’s flow with clean keys and tasteful ghost notes across
the rhythm work. The chorus and general flow of the song
makes for a very memorable experience.
Lead Feet makes for a well-placed pause with a simple
acoustic track and Paper Feet builds the momentum up
gradually again, bringing some very interesting percussive
elements into a slow-paced track.
Manic attempts to heighten the pace and momentum
developed, and has subtle, attractive moments where the
music comes together in absolute perfection. The distorted
section definitely comes out of nowhere, but hits you with a
relatively pleasant surprise.
The same goes for Head Rush, although this track explores
a slightly darker and mellow feel while climaxing into a
gamey, voluminous breakdown and spicy outro. An overwhelmingly emotional finale to the album seems to
be what the band was going for, considering the last track
Until We Fall. Gospel vibes certainly dominate the feel of
the track, but it definitely brings the album some intimate
closure.
Crime brings back the energetic version of Spud’s original
sound, by taking standard musicalities and giving them a
nudge in the direction of wackiness. The tone of the keys
shredding their way into the forefront of the song makes for
a very pleasurable experience. Individually and more so together, the tracks on this album
have definitely pushed Spud in a very promising direction.
If you’re hoping to keep up with future independent trends,
this album will do it justice.
The
Score Magazine
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