Spokane
Able Bodies
Jagjaguwar
The first time my mom heard this album, she said it sounded like the new age stuff she listens to on satellite radio. Not '80s new age or anything cool like Devo, but the stuff you would most likely associate with yoga and herbal medicine. Uck. Spokane's Able Bodies is nowhere near that soulless babble -- though with its prodding and beautiful instrumentals, Spokane does elicit the sort of abstract thought that comes with that weird stuff my mom listens to.
The band's fourth album in two years, Spokane seems to be getting handy with quick composition. But Able Bodies has just as much thought and care put into it as an album that might take another band three years alone to make. It is dark, deep and soothing. The strings of Spokane violinist Karl Runge and guest musicians Molly Kien on cello and Maggie Polk on violin really give Able Bodies its alluring shadow. Guest artist Ben Swanson (vibes) helps to put a sort of spacey spin on the tracks.
The sparse and ghostly vocals of Spokaners Rick Alverson and Courtney Bowles add to the disc's "removed from reality" feel. It seems more like the music your mind would play when you are feeling depressed and mysterious than something you might hear at a show. This internal gives the album an unspoken personal feel that is often hard to find in more obtuse music.
You may not be able to listen to this album every day -- it's just too dark and slow. And after awhile, the tracks seem to blend together, which, while giving Able Bodies a strong consistency, it also gives you the feeling of déja vù. And the album does have some slow spots.
In the end, it's Spokane's ability to restrain its energy and passion and let it out quietly that makes the album.
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