Care for a Sunset Rubdown?

By Erin Szrankowski
Collegian Staff
October 17, 2007

Sunset Rubdown’s third release, Random Spirit Lover, has a mix of eerie and whimsical elements. This Jagjaguwar-signed, Montreal-based band has already played a good show at Philly’s First Unitarian Church, but here’s some more love.

SR mastermind Spencer Krug is known for his prolific career. Currently, he performs with four bands, including Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade, Swan Lake and Frog Eyes. As I listened to this album, I envisioned a jovial carousel and its surrounding calm, yet hectic atmosphere. Random Spirit Lover features a never ending cycle of music, not even stopping in between songs. The tracks flow into one another, each picking up where the last one left off. Spirit Lover should be heard in its entirety; if not then the concept is difficult to understand.

Sunset Rubdown could be compared to Modest Mouse’s recent release, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. Isaac Brock and Krug’s voices are similarly cracked, in the sense they are imperfect but interesting.

One of the stand-out tracks of Random Spirit Lover is “The Mending of the Gown” is polished, energetic and keyboard-driven; a perfect start to this album. The other is “The Taming of the Hands That Came Back to Life.” This is also high-energy, full of feminine “la, la, las,” and it almost sounds like a sober sea shanty. “Colt Stands Up, Grows Horns” is all over the place. It sounds as if instruments are being thrown around the room while random people make noise—it makes no sense. Later, there’s “Setting vs. Rising,” a hauntingly dreamy song with a fuzzy piano matching an echoed Krug, who sings, “Do you call a setting sun a sunrise?” and “Put the soil on the tents under the moon shade of a shooting story.”

Overall, Random Spirit Lover is a good listen. It is definitely something that should be picked up if you like sea chanties, Wolf Parade, carousels and stuff of that nature.

szrankowskie1@lasalle.edu