The Spinto Band

Moonwink

(Park The Van)

Record Review by Amber Henson

I was first introduced to The Spinto Band by hearing “Oh, Mandy” on a mix CD that was made for someone else.  Obviously, it was fate.  That song is so . . . I don’t know.  Endearingly wonderful?  Effortlessly amazing?  Mandolin-tastic?

Either way, I was super stoked for their new album, Moonwink.  I think I might have had my expectations too high.  Nice going, Amber.
Although once I heard the first song, I was like, “Oh!  They’ve done it again!  Huzzah to you, Spinto Band!” But then after going through the rest of the album a couple more times, I started to see a few flaws here and there.  It was kinda like when you go on a first date and you think they’re perfect, but on the second date, you start to pick them apart, because no one can be perfect, right?  Right?!

Okay, I’m back.  Sorry.  The best part about The Spinto Band is their carefree way of creating music.  Nick Krill and Thomas Hughes sing with such ease, and Jon Eaton (guitar), Jeffrey Hobson (drums), Sam Hughes (keyboards), and Joey Hobson (also guitar) are so natural with their instruments, it makes the whole thing sound live, without being sloppy.  Interestingly, on almost every track, the vocals are not the focus.  They’re all working together towards a goal.

Speaking of goals, this band is crescendo-happy.  Everything is going somewhere.  With most of the songs being upbeat, they usually break it down somewhere in the bridge and then bring it back up.  The singer(s) sometimes have to whisper to get it low enough, and then near the end of the crescendo they are singing so fast as to not quite be understood.
And don’t worry, the mandolin is back.  Along with a serious amount of synths.  Some tracks take us back to the eighties for a bit.  In almost all the tracks, the singers are singing to someone.  In addition, quite a few of the songs make me want to get on a treadmill and run til the album is over.  It’s pretty damned inspiring.