The Spinto Band
Shy Pursuits

THE REVIEW

It is both delightful and satisfying to take an exam where you manage to cheat brilliantly (I know I'm terrible, but it's up to us to judge ourselves and I equate cheating to the right of expression), but I'm also cheerful because Spinto Band has been playing through my headphones for a while now.

They returned after a full 4 years; and they came back strong, within their tiny pop niche. Perhaps some will remember them for the enchanting “Oh Mandy,” which for me is one of the most beautiful tracks of the '00s.
Cheerfully tangy, with distant sub-Beatles-like resemblances, the Delaware band (which I've discovered is one of the 50 states) is with us again, maintaining the clumsy and not at all serious style that distinguishes them.

“Cookie Falls” and “Keep Them Alive” are more than valid tracks that best represent the typical Spinto sound. Shy Pursuits, and I kind of imagine them as shy, or at least humble, because this album sounds that way despite the genuine flashes of inspiration, like the irresistible “Leave Yourself Alone.”
For the rest, the album flows marvelously, without particular upheavals, lulling us blissfully among ballads with mandolin (“The Living Things”) and mockery of Vampire Weekend (“Muesli”). The only slight difference from the past might be the gradual abandonment of certain ethereal atmospheres that enveloped the compositions, moving towards a cleaner sound.

Hurrah for the band that pushes on, they were needed to prove that you can remain young and true to your style even when a lot of water has passed under the bridge.