Introducing The Narrows, A Dark (other)Worldly Release From The Goth-But-So-Much-More Band Spare Spells
This talented group of ghouls from Portland, OR, have just launched the release of their full length masterpiece The Narrows, and it’s one of the most beautifully eclectic albums I’ve ever heard. Describing Spare Spells isn’t easy. While you might be inclined to label them dark country based on “Shake, Shiver, Shout” and “Black Tom”, they utilize many different sounds and styles throughout The Narrows in a way that compels me to compare them to Dead Can Dance in that otherworldly way. They end up hitting several genres in the span of 11 tracks (satisfyingly lengthy after their first release NEON/NOIR!) which makes for an incredible experience from beginning to end. It’s worth noting that vocalist Revel Rosz mixed and mastered The Narrows himself.
Without spoiling too much, Spare Spells features male and female dual vocals (my favorite, which is thankfully becoming the norm in Portland) and the sound varies flawlessly with elements of psych, post-punk, shoegaze, Eastern, Western, surf, synthpop… even electronic noise interludes! It’s the perfect amount of spacey and dancey. Most people would probably recommend the songs “Shake, Shiver, Shout” and “TzimTzum” for first-time listeners since those are probably the most catchy on The Narrows, but I’m going to be a total snob and suggest “Neither / Neither” followed by “DIM #23” to experience a crazy style variation in less than 5 minutes.
Some of you might remember Spare Spells from when they played with Murderbait and The Prids last year when I described them as “unusual and astounding to witness.” I hadn’t listened to their songs before I watched them perform, so I can honestly say that these guys really come out of left field. They really need to be seen and heard to be believed. That being said, their record release show for The Narrows was on Thursday, May 25th at The Waypost and it was incredible! The venue was dark, intimate and reflected the “country goth” theme. After the band’s performance, we were lead out behind the venue to a garden to ceremoniously assist the band in burning a large amount of rough draft lyrics/notes from the creation of The Narrows. I’ve never been to a show before or since that performed such a ritual, and it so fun to take part in!
The Narrows is currently available to stream on Bandcamp as well as iTunes. You can also follow Spare Spells on Facebook and their official site. Their next show will be June 22nd at The Waypost once again. You won’t want to miss this one!
