Jump, Jive, and Harmonize: The Spongetones
Number 9

By Beverly Paterson, The Lance Monthly (more articles from this author) 2005-07-12

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Artist: The Spongetones
Title: Number 9
Genre: Power Pop Website: Not Lame Records
Website: www.spongetones.com
CDBaby:

For more than twenty-five years now, The Spongetones have been pleasing folks far and wide with their smartly crafted sides. In the beginning, the North Carolina band was totally Merseybeat minded as they dispatched rows of choppy chords, ringing guitars and heavenly harmonies with the finesse of the greatest acts of the era. The Spongetones proved you can go home again and relive sounds that remain fresh and ageless. But as time marched on, they developed and established their own distinctive personality, leading them to reap applause as one of the most respected and appreciated bands cruising the circuit.

The latest Spongetones disc, Number 9, is stuffed tight with the kind of high quality songwriting and musical chops we've come to expect from them. Strident melodies complement crunchy instrumentation on fully realized power pop pieces such as "Anyway Town" and "Cruel and Unusual Punishment." Forays into vaudeville and psychedelia are also encountered, giving the album an air of surprise and diversity. A somewhat spacey tenor occasionally rears its head on "Number 9," while other tracks poised and punchy. Think John Lennon and Paul McCartney teaming up for an Everly Brothers type project with Big Star and Badfinger jamming in the background.

Further winning tracks to be had on Number 9 are the biting pop rock clutches of "Bring It All Over Me" and the commanding presence of "Dreaming In English." Assured performances, paired with inventive structures allow Number 9 to burst forth with instant appeal. The keyboards glide and grind, the guitars slide and soar and the drums pound and twirl. The Spongetones have put their best foot forward and the rewards are many.

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