Spider Bags – Back With You Again in the World from Merge Records on Vimeo.
Spider Bags formed in 2005 as a long-distance project between close friends who had known each other since their high school days in New Jersey. That original lineup recorded their excellent debut, A Celebration of Hunger (Birdman, 2007), with Brian Paulson and then toured the country together for a couple of years before eventually going their separate ways. A number of different players toured and recorded with the band while they finished another full-length, Goodbye Cruel World, Hello Crueler World (Birdman, 2009), and recorded half a dozen singles.
During the 2011 recording of the band’s third album, Shake My Head (Odessa, 2012), the current lineup consisting of Steve Oliva (bass) and Rock Forbes (drums) was finally solidified. Building upon the foundation laid down by its predecessor, Frozen Letter rocks with the clairvoyance of three musicians who have spent a lot of time recording and touring together over the last few years. Recorded mostly live over the course of a few days, there’s an exhilarating urgency to Frozen Letter, as heard in riff-driven rockers like “Back With You Again in the World” and “Chem Trails.” Dan McGee (guitars, vocals), Steve Oliva (bass) and Rock Forbes (drums) brings the tempo down a notch for “Coffin Car,” which finds them mining an ominous morbidity over one of their prettier chord patterns. “We Got Problems” comes on like a true acid trip, alternating between utter terror and unfettered joy. Featuring a heavy and repetitive pattern, a slew of effected guitars, and searing guest leads from Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan, the song encapsulates an entire Spider Bags epoch in under six minutes.
Spider Bags Tour Dates
08.09 Winston Salem, NC @ Krankies
