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Fruit Bats
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Spelled In Bones
Sub Pop Records
Release: 7/26/2005
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Rated:
Review by:
Melanie Moore
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Remember that strange kid from high school, the one that
was always writing and dressing funny, choosing to be an
outcast? I imagine Eric D. Johnson to be like that kid. He
played guitar and banjo for Califone, but now he's the brain
behind Fruit Bats. Joining him this time around is Dan Strack
and John Byce. Fruit Bats is a constantly evolving machine,
so several people can claim they were a member in Fruit
Bats, but I'm not going to worry about them because they
aren't on this album.
I imagine the creation of this album to be like a game of
poker. Each song deals up a new hand of surprises, but
every time this Fruit Bats trio goes all in and emerges
triumphantly. It is a brave attempt at creating something
that would have been dark and dreary, but Johnson must
have been dealt a hand of something good because only one
song on this album actually fits into that category.
Everything else is very open and provides an alternate
optimistic view for living. The first track, "Lives of Crime,"
comes out right away and demonstrates the vocal ability and
writing talent of Johnson. The songs following are filled with
hippie undertones, exemplified in "Born in the 70s" and
continued on through the retro pop of "The Wind That Blew
My Heart Away." There's one more song with a 70s
reference and it's the lone love song on the album. "The
Earthquake of '73" is a very classic sweet song about a girl
who's 'hurt her foot' and 'cracked a rib' and a boy promising
not to break her heart, too. Nearly everything on this album
is real and honest about life.
There are several natural references in the album, with
"Silent Life" referencing a life in a better place where 'rivers
stand still' and all is quiet. Nature gets even more credit in
"Legs of Bees," proving Spelled In Bones is
organic and earthy. The last song on the album strangely
reminds me of Bambi, without anyone getting
killed, complete with the birds chirping at the end.
Spelled In Bones is a well done compilation of
music with incredible lyrics. It explores the chambers of
hearts of hippies, but I'm not too confident of the generation
that grew up with MTV accepting it; however I'm sure it is a
treasured find to those who still drive those VW Buses. |
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