FRUIT BATS
Spelled in Bones
Sub Pop
HOLOPAW
Quit +/or Fight
Sub Pop
· Sub Pop’s quietest bands release similarly average albums.
At the height of grunge you would have been hard-pressed to imagine that Sub Pop would have become home to the jangly sounds of Fruit Bats and Holopaw. That both bands tour together is no surprise – they have similarly hushed approaches to music and both released their second album for Sub Pop mere weeks apart. What is a surprise is that despite how pretty both albums are, they are also a bit dull.
Fruit Bats rely on the quirky vocals of front man Eric Johnson, who makes this project sound (at times) like a less-depressed version of The Mountain Goats. The problem is, the soul-crushing depression that John Darnielle brings to the fore in the Goats is one of that band’s key selling points. On Spelled In Bones, Johnson continues in the same vein as his last offering Mouthfuls, but even though the songs are laced with pretty harmonies and sparkling keyboard accents, all the material fades into itself. There are moments of sharp pop gold to be found, but you really gotta take your time to get to it.
Holopaw are a touch more successful, simply because their vocalist John Orth has a bit more warble in his voice. Almost everything on their latest effort, Quit +/or Fight, could be called timid, but in that low-self-esteem delivery is a charm that makes the grade. Rewriting lurching saddle ballads for the sensitive backpack set, Holopaw wring as much sympathy as they can from a few well placed lap-steel solos and they never risk getting too upbeat. Still, there is something to be said for the slow-and-steady approach.
In the case of either band you could use them to soundtrack a backyard fire-pit bull session or a lazy weekend afternoon. Be sure you have something else to do while listening, though. That way you won’t feel so bad when you ultimately forget these albums.
FRUIT BATS 3/5
HOLOPAW 3/5
JASON LEWIS
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