In the music of Spokane, like in the city of Spokane, not much happens. The volume of a song at its beginning is usually the same at its end; the melody in any one bar like that of every other. Choruses are rare and the dramatic is non-existent. Central to this music is a healthy dose of dullness - just enough to make the listener question why she is listening at all, to draw her close in curiosity, at which point, inevitably, the faithful is rewarded with a miniature musical detail - something small but ever so relatively precious. In the case of "Leisure," this detail is a neat instance of the medieval compositional practice of word painting: Forty-five seconds into the song, when the singer sings "thick," he's joined by a second, even quieter voice. The sound is thickened almost imperceptibly, but the change is as satisfying as if it were a drum fill leading into a crescendo. [Buy]
Posted by Jordan at March 12, 2008 8:34 PM