REVIEW: The Spinanes, Imp Years (Merge)
- Christina Apeles
If you are new to The Spinanes and are one of those unlucky folks that consistently stumbles upon a great band just before they break up, I'm sorry to inform you it already happened years ago. The Imp Years serves as their adieu, an encore release of hits that will forever keep them imprinted on college radio playlists and among faithful, adoring fans. Utter gratitude goes to the people at Merge for giving us one last release from this talented two-piece outfit of vocalist/guitarist Rebecca Gates and drummer Scott Plouf, who left the band in 1996 to play with fellow indie favorite Built to Spill.
The divine "Hawaiian Baby," is reason enough to rush to your local record store. One of the hardest singles to find, "Hawaiian Baby" is simply one of finest indie rock ballads, sure to set your heart afloat in that bittersweet kind of way. It is one of the longest singles from the band stretching over 5 minutes, with Gate's acoustic guitar in tow and Plouf's soft drumming accompanied by harsh, sentimental lyrics, "Santa Claus with the baby that you brought me / this is the taste of your right earlobe can't you hear me / it's my heart and it doesn't fit yours." The first four tracks, which includes "Hawaiian Baby" and "Suffice," were among their first releases beginning in '92, released on Imp Records, thus the title. Another hard-to-find, "Messy Shitty," released on a compilation put out by Schizophonic records also in 1992, is an upbeat number with their trademark harmonies and the sound of a full piece, backed by another guitar, bass and pull.a.tune. The release closes with the elegant, previously unreleased "Handful of Heart," validating the personal and genuine nature of The Spinanes music. Their lo-fi pop pairing has been unmatched and will sure to be missed but with Imp Years you can get a taste of their early greats one last time.
