Lupine Howl
125
Vinyl Hiss
Although ex-Spiritualized members Sean Cook, Mike Mooney, and Damon Reece (bass, guitar, and drums, respectively) were unceremoniously booted by the ever-dilettantish Jason “Spaceman” Pierce a few years back, their latest Lupine Howl project finds them alive and very well. A collection of two European singles and a small handful of leftover studio tracks, 125 sees the British quintet sounding a lot like Spiritualized • as much as anyone can actually sound like Spiritualized • which is rather difficult, given that band’s etched-in-stone identity. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing • or, in Lupine Howl’s case, an obviously generic one • because they’re altogether alternately funkier (the “Vaporizer” single), much darker (“Tired,” “Mexican Cantina”), and perhaps more luded-out (“Voodoo Raygun”), the whole seven-song 125 holding together, all glue-like, like any good album should; credit their sharp, seasoned focus for this (I mean, after all, these guys were the core of Spiritualized!). If Cook and company continue to cultivate these differences/idiosyncrasies, Lupine Howl could seriously give Mr. Spaceman a run for his money come debut album time.
Vinyl Hiss; http://www.vinylhiss.com
