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The Fruit BatsSpelled In Bones Sub Pop/Stomp It's as if Eric Johnson was living on a strict diet of The Shins with the occasional treat of Wilco and The Beatles when he wrote 'Spelled In Bones'. Not having heard The Fruit Bats' previous two albums I don't know whether this diet has been adhered to since their debut in 2001, but I can only assume that to create a carbon copy with such fidelity must take some practice. As a fan of The Shins, this album is at once familiar and easy to get into especially with the opening track Lives Of Crime, which I swear just has to be a Shins song. But there is something amiss: it's not Johnson's voice, which at times bears an uncanny resemblance to James Mercer's; it's not a lack of complexity in song writing, with no less than 12 instruments deftly arranged into beautiful and intricate compositions; and it's not a lack of lyrical depth (although what could possibly match the opening line to Saint Simon?). I just can't put my finger on it, and the more I listen to the album, the less sure I am that something is actually missing. However, like a confused child that shouts in protest, 'You're not my real mum!' the same can be said of The Fruit Bats. I'm so accustomed to this sound belonging to The Shins and The Shins only, that my hackles were initially raised by the thought of someone else creating something so similar. The truth is, 'Spelled In Bones' is actually a great album, you've just got to let yourself like it.  |
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