The Black Spoons give listeners a mix of indie-rock sound and unusual lyrical statements in their debut album “My Dear Radium.” These lyrical choices are innovative to the point of being captivating and at other times to the point of being disturbing. The compelling guitar riffs, base lines and vocals are clearly reminiscent of The Police and early Bowie.
The band members range from a lead singer/guitarist who is working on his Ph.D. in Chinese history, a bassist who is a psychological oncology researcher and a drummer who studied at the Blue Bear School of Music, giving each a unique contribution to the sound of The Black Spoons. The band prides itself on being part of the revolution of musicians who can maintain a successful career without bowing down to the imposing hand of today’s music industry.
With all of this going for them, their first album reflects the soul of indie with only the occasional failure to live up to the high standard set by several amazing tracks.
“Your Softest Leather,” despite being the opener and a “doctor recommended track,” according to The Black Spoons, only gives an overly repetitive sound and a murky mixture of lyrics that aren’t extremely appealing. This song is not the only disappointment on the album. “Like a Knife” has disturbing sections of lyrics combined with pointless and confusing symbolism. The lack of clarity in both of these defeats the purpose of strong wording and symbolism, which kills the song.
This overwhelming feeling of an underwhelming effort is only increased by the ear-friendly but boring songs entitled “Aristotle” and “Plans for Earth.” Both lack the spark that could make them worth repeated listening.
“Password” and “Never Ever” have great sound and are easily the two best bets for listening pleasure on the album. “Password,” a “doctor recommended track” by the band, has a repetitive, but not redundant, guitar line that is combined with powerful lyrics to give the song edge and incite.
“Never Ever” has calming guitar sounds with reassuring lyrics of personal realization and evolution. It elaborates on opening up to new experiences and saving the most important things for each other with entertaining and quite plain language. Lines like “Holy s**t, she loves me/ maybe I should love me too” are in no way Shakespearean quality lyrical prose, but they get the point across.
“Patient Little Secret” is a great example of a good mix between catchy rhythms and intelligent lyrics. The way they combine makes you want to listen to the song on repeat.
“The Pleasure of Sin Without Sin” has an enticing sound. Some lyrics are unintelligible – at one point even the liner writes “unintelligible” for song lyrics – but this doesn’t detract from the overall quality of the song.
“Marie Curie” and “Chemical Sue” show the influence of science on the songwriters with lines about sharing electrons and setting particles free. Such lines are not a typical way to illustrate a point, especially when compared to the blunt and predictable language that is popular now; bringing in scientific symbolism and references is a refreshing way to get the band’s message across.
For its debut efforts, The Black Spoons manage to compile a good selection of music, which makes up for the disappointment stemming from a few lackluster songs.
Tara Templeton can be reached at [email protected].
