Mean Red Spiders

"Still Life Fast Moving" CD

Clairecords

Genres: shoegazer, indie pop, indie rock

Clairecords
PO Box 214332
Sacramento CA
95821 USA

Oct 13 - 19 2003

Mean Red Spiders, that ass-kicking little shoegazer band from Toronto, are on it again.  Still Life Fast Moving is their new disc on well-respected imprint Clairecords, and it sees them with a fresh, rock-influenced, pop-hook-aplenty sound.  There are still your regular My Bloody Valentine influences as is always the case, but they've also made their songs a lot more accessible to the average Joe.  This disc should increase their popularity by leaps and bounds.

The most memorable tune may be the opener, "First and Only," a lovely pop affair with a spacey sound.  Another quality song is "Turn Walk Away", which is a Valentine bloodbath, exploding off the bat with pounding guitars and an amazing feeling of floating in space.  Meanwhile, calmer number "My Soul To Keep" offers a nice break from the band's  trademark ethereal onslaught.

This is a recommended album.  Mean Red Spiders have really created a lot of good music since their conception in 1993, and they now are worthy of a spot at the forefront of the modern shoegazer scene.  Still Life Fast Moving is an album worth purchasing for any shoegazer or indie pop fanatic.

86%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 10 tracks, distributed by the label, released 2002]