Artist: The Spinanes
Release: Strand
Released: 1996
Label: Sub Pop
Catalog#: SP 345
Format: FLAC / Lossless / Log (100%) / Cue
Country: USA
Style:Alternative Rock, Shoegaze, Indie Rock


1	 Madding	5:28	
2	 Azure	3:51	
3	 Lines And Lines	6:23	
4	 Meridian	3:53	
5	 Punch Line Loser	4:01	
6	 Valency	3:26	
7	 Luminous	6:03	
8	 Oceanwide	5:40	
9	 Winter On Ice	6:00	
10	 Watch Down	4:23	
11	 For No One Else	4:15

In alternative rock, as in any other genre, it's hard to stand out from a crowded field. When the Spinanes emerged in the early '90s, they got a couple legs up on the competition to be different. Taking the power trio format one stage further, they created a full-bodied rock sound with just two members, guitarist/singer Rebecca Gates and drummer Scott Plouf. They were also one of the first Sub Pop bands that did not subscribe to a grungy metallic sound, although they rocked pretty hard.

Beyond these striking characteristics, however, the Spinanes' music wasn't far off the beaten path of standard college radio alternative fare, with droning guitar textures, occasional harmonies, and measured vocals that avoided both slickness and extreme emotion. They were wise enough to realize the limits of their format, and their second album, Strand (1996), expanded their instrumental, production, and songwriting ranges in interesting ways. 

Although Gates and Plouf still play almost everything on their second outing, they make things more interesting by fooling around with a greater variety of instruments (adding more keyboards particularly) and getting outside guest vocalists to harmonize on a few songs. The songwriting (now handled by Gates exclusively) gets more penetrating as well, and the production is more imaginative (but does not approach slickness). At their most morose they recall "sadcore" groups like Low and Spain, but the Spinanes have more diversity than those acts.