Search - Spent :: Seat Beneath Chairs

What is indie rock? I don't know, but this is IT.

Jonathan J. Casey | the twin cities | 05/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Being on the Merge record label and sounding at times a lot like Superchunk, this album at first attracted me but seemed pretty disposable. Owning it for several years, now, I find that in fact it is a great record and one of my favorite indie rock albums of all time. Spent may not be Built to Spill, Stereolab, or the Flaming Lips, but the variety of singers (2 boys, 1 girl) and quality of song writing (consistently great) make for an endlessly pleasing stream of sounds. From the relentless opener "Good Luck Line" to the gentle "Quarter Conspiracy" what you'll find is something which may not be wholly original, but is distinctive nonetheless. "Umbrella Wars" is a great chunk-rawk kind of song with ridiculously commonplace lyrics ("I will not fight in your umbrella wars/I won't complain about dry skin") that just endear me to this band even more. I think in an era when college radio is turning increasingly ironic (Magnetic Fields, Belle und Sebastian) Spent's general tone of earnestness comes off appealing but in no way didactic (a la At The Drive-In). I like those other bands a lot but I'm growing to appreciate plain, honest sentiments more... if you're down with the 'chunk (especially latter-day Jim O'Rourke-produced Superchunk), check out Spent. They seem to have split up but this is a record you should not miss."