REVIEW: Love Spit Love, Trysome Eatone (Maverick)
- Joe Silva
Not that the first Love Spit Love disc was so metaphysically detached from the Furs, but having floated at least one LP with moderate success, it's at least sonically clear that Richard Butler is more comfy with the association. That is to say that now when co-conspirator Richard Fortus strays closer to Butler's old flame, the singer's more apt to follow.
Working essentially as a Morrissey/Marr styled duo, the two Richards have returned from the Imago fiasco with a brimful of tunes that are not only in league with their 94 debut release, but that also see them having the confidence to push the faders up and let loose with a little less melancholia and a bit more clamor.
From the single's ("Long Long Time") opening moments, the verve runs at much higher levels and with Butler's voice in full croak, the combination gets to soaring quick. Hired hands Chris Wilson and Frank Ferrer are essentially solid, if not non-descript additions to the picture. And because they either had a protracted amount of time to mull over the content, or Fortus' ability to second guess Butler's tastes has improved, Love Spit Love beat the sophomore jinx cold.
The tracks spin off the album one after another, loud, catchy, and not too far removed from the firmament that the Furs stood firmly upon nearly twenty years past. One number, the semi-somber "Fall On Tears," has a chorus etched into it that is sure to place it among Butler's better work.
And while Butler's lyrics still more happenstance than forethought, it's easy to forgive him stealing more and more bits from his previous songbooks. They appear more as reassertion than repetition.
Set to tour through the remainder of the fall and in and about the holidays, Love Spit Love's continually more respectable take on aggressive, modern pop will probably be worth an evening out. And if Fortus (who may still have his best work ahead of him) stays on track, Butler's raspy vocal signature may still have a forum to hold for years to come.
