In 2008, I was in Ireland for the summer. It was the summer of Vampire Weekend. Vampire Weekend was everywhere. I was staying at a youth hostel in Dublin with a kitchen served breakfast and dinner. It was a deal. The kitchen had big bay windows, and I'd sit there and read or surf the web or think. Without fail, the cook would press play on Vampire Weekend whilst preparing the evening meal.
The Spinto Band is a less spazy Vampire Weekend. And this is not to say that I don't like Vampire Weekend. I own that debut album that played and played all summer long. The problem with that first Vampire Weekend album is that I can only listen to it once all the way through. One and done. It goes back on the shelf until I dig it out a couple of months later.
Cool Cocoon has been on repeat in my car the last week or so. The Spinto Band has been playing music together since the 90s and with about 10 albums under their belt, you can hear the polish on their latest record. Vocally, there's a lot going on. Nick Krill may be singing lead but the backing vocals deserve first billing along with him. The harmonies are light and melodic which brings me to my next comparison: The Spinto Band is a less reverby The Morning Benders.
I really enjoyed The Morning Benders Grain of Salt EP. Big Echo, on the other hand, was hit or miss from me. I'm in the minority on this one, but the overkill of reverb just made the melodies blurry and inarticulate (where Grain of Salt was 60s pop heaven). The Spinto Band takes that 60s pop sensibility (more from the Beach Boys than from The Beatles) and runs with it.
The stand out tracks for me on Cool Cocoon are "Shake It Off" (which smacks of Brian Wilson), "What I Love" (an excellent love song), and "Enemy" (which sees The Spinto Band veering off into power pop). The last two tracks on the album "Na Na Na" and "Breath Goes In" start to grate, especially the former. I skip both. I'd be happy if Cool Cocoon had been two tracks shorter, and I probably would have given it a higher rating.
The album is a solid followup to Shy Pursuit which was a solid album in its own right. The Spinto Band keeps churning out quality pop tunes that you can put on repeat.
iTunes tells me I give this album three stars.
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