SAD13 – 1331

I think we’re all just under the assumption that a new album might be forthcoming from Speedy Ortiz because Sadie Dupuis, vocalist and guitarist of said band, seems to release albums around the same time as Dupuis’ side project. But we won’t get into that. Dupuis is in SAD13 mode and today dropped her 1331 (Exploding In Sound) release, and as brief as it is – with songs never making it through to the 2-minute mark – they’re quite catchy, infectious even. Her electro-pop here borders on minimalism but also fleshes out songs with layered experimentalism. It usually happens at the same time, and somehow pop songs detonate and burst with colorful flavors. This is an album you can dig right into without spending too much time thinking about it, probably why it was sent at the last possible moment. Regardless, this one is enticing.

THE 7:45S – SPIN OFF

Sitting. Trying, attempting to gauge what constitutes R&B and/or Nu Soul, while also wondering if it even matters as elements of funk are sifted through. Yes, just trying to get to the point here and seeing where the Cambridge, UK outfit, The 7:45s fit in. With more than one lead singer, the band seems to fit whoever right in to fit the needs of the song. But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself, and it’s Spin Off (LRK Records) that I’m referring to here. It’s the group’s sophomore effort, which follows last year’s Spinning release.

Through nine tracks, the album just seems to leave me wanting. What that exactly might be is just about anyone’s guess. As quick as the album begins, it’s over just as fast. While it may be apparent through every song, the difference in sound, it still sounds like one group, The 7:45s. But stylistically, the group is all over the place. Don’t get me wrong, the song structures are well written & performed, but something just seems a bit off. The opening “I Want You, Say You’re Mine” begins friendly enough, and you might even say it’s groovy AF with a sturdy rhythm and stunning vocal delivery, with delicious backing harmonies and the eventual horn solo that drips with sensuality… but then something unexpected happens. There’s a mechanical bossa nova rhythm that enters the fray, slowing things down, and seems to throw everything off for me. Had the rhythm and flow remained steady, it wouldn’t have been an issue. That bossa nova beat, you know the one, it’s programmed on every keyboard.

There’s redemption in “I Will Be There For You,” a duet and mid-tempo love song, with both vocalists playing off one another as what sounds like a Hammond organ plays way below the other instruments. When they do appear, the cascade of horns augments the rhythm section as guitars strum lightly. Everything here is perfect. Some things don’t last forever though, and now, as I move ahead, I’m left wondering, what could happen from this point? The 7:45s take on a cover song, and again, I’m left wondering, but this time it’s, if Stevie Wonder covered the Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” would it sound a little like this? Possibly. But there’s probably a reason why most R&B groups stayed away from covering rock songs. Don’t get me wrong, when Ike & Tina covered “Proud Mary,” that was another level of greatness. Here though, unnecessary.

I didn’t want to check out at this point, and thank goodness I didn’t, because “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” funks it all up. This one is filled with horns and keys with a rhythm that’s in your face. At first listen, I wasn’t paying much attention to but then I realized, while the group isn’t political, this is somewhat politicized with social tendencies. I dig it, I groove to it, I’m hip to it. Ok, we’re all back on the same page now. As we progress through the album, the lows are just as visible as the highs, and we’re hit with another cover song, this time it’s the Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down.” It’s another cover of a song better left untouched. There’s a bossa/reggae rhythm embedded into the song as the rhythm attempts to shake things up, but no, the way it maneuvers across this space just doesn’t do it. The group does make another shift with “I Want You, I Need You,” with its bouncy Latin-flavored disco dance vibe. There is one issue I need to reconcile with; while there’s no issue that I have with this catchy number, I can’t help but picture a 1992 Meryl Streep dancing on stage. It gives off a bit of cheesy disco, but that just may be the charm of it. You’re forced to repeat it again and again, and that’s not a bad thing.

Of course, I wanted to love Spin Off, but it’s stuck in a hit-or-miss space where some joints smack, and others fall flat. It may not be the space you’d want to be in, but that’s where it sits. I think I just want something that could identifiably be the 7:45s, 24-7.