Introducing: The Spend

I was recently turned on to the music of Chicago’s The Spend after receiving an email from singer/songwriter Matt Shaw with that myspace link I just passed on to you. After clicking I sat transfixed for about 3 minutes as I soaked in a mesmorizing, finger-picked folk song called “Gills (Dry)” that features some gorgeously-layered vocal harmonies. Shaw records on his own, and the songs on his recent record Mild Peril mostly fall into the hushed, reflective, somewhat ominous lo-fi folk genre that you sometimes hear from artists like Mark Kozelek or Damien Jurado (which, I guess with recent word of a new Jurado album on the way, makes this a very timely introduction). But he mixes these quieter songs with some occasional (and unexpected) electric guitar feedback and experimental sound collages (such as the haunting “Gills (Wet)”) to create a diverse listening experience that manages to maintain a specific mood throughout. Mild Peril is available on vinyl and CD through Shaw’s own Basic Satan label. Don’t miss out on this:

MP3 :: Mild Peril
MP3 :: Gills (Dry)
MP3 :: Gills (Wet)
(from Mild Peril. Buy here)
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