#testostertunes

Long time comin’ for this Sparrow Steeple LP, kept afloat by whispers of ex-Strapping Fieldhands gigging around Philly but little else for those outside of southeast PA to sink their teeth into. Who else but Richie Records rolled Steeple Two out in a triptych of releases, alongside Mark Feehan’s jarring and hypnotic M.F. II and the rambling, dusty longing of Mordecai’s Abstract Recipe. It’s a formidable threesome for sure, but Feehan and Mordecai nearly drowned out the comparatively slight (or so it seemed) Sparrow Steeple for a bit. Took me a few weeks - others, not so much: this was the first LP that sold out direct from Richie - but Steeple Two might just be my favorite of the three. Clearly there is a strong Strapping Fieldhands influence here, ‘cept where the Fieldhands could play standing slouched over, Sparrow Steeple has laid back in the recliner for this new outing. This is loose, light music; guitar lines float in through your apartment from passing cars, percussion and flute scribbling out patterns under and over the wispy wah. It congeals beautifully underneath the vocals, which sound like Bryan Ferry with a very serious need to sing about food. The whole record might sound like some abandoned jam session without the warbling, emotive vocals, which lend a lotta charm to very somber songs about getting egg rolls to go and “Hamlet Egg Sandwich”es (above). It’s goofy as hell, but I doubt you’ll hear anyone enjoying themselves on record more than Sparrow Steeple anytime soon. Besides, there are songs like “Caspar’s Robe” and “Valerie Verb” to keep the beard-stroking astute listener comin’ back. It’s the kind of record made for evening porch sessions and people that might’ve loved Shawn David McMillen’s On the Clock w/ JJ & Mitch as much as @fuckinrecordreviews did back in 2015. It’s tense out there; Steeple Two is the necessary counterbalance.

(In 200 Words, we highlight a new record we like a lot, via a 200-word review by Marc Masters and 200 words (or so) from the artist about whatever they choose.)

MARK FEEHAN - M.F. II LP (Richie / TestosterTunes)

It’s been four years since Spacin’ dropped Deep Thuds, in hindsight probably thee guitar rock record of the year, shambling and shuffling and bursting at the seams with attitude, energy, riffs for days. It was the kind of record that doesn’t really need a follow-up, being somewhat of an anomaly in its sphere, and in lesser hands you could see a rehash of Deep Thuds getting stretched thin really quick. Total Freedom is a helluva lot more than a rehash but it doesn’t stray too far from the swimming hole - sunshiney and shoeless as it was - that spawned the previous record. There’s something a little ominous creeping in around the edges here: the quiet coda to the excellent opener “Over Uneasy,” the dreamy and spare “B.I.S.” bleeding into the 10-minute “U.S. Ruse.” The latter track starts as a dark stomp, loses its steam halfway through and comes out clean for the finish, all anxiety shaken free by four guitars and Eva Killinger’s inimitable thwack. As with their last LP, this is instant good mood music, but the subtle emphasis on the low dark places makes the highs all the more stunning. Spacin’ is taking the good with the bad, casting aside the shit and riding a riff skyward. “Kensington Real” into the syrupy “Human Condition”? Pile that on. The fuzzy vocals smeared with glee across “Titchy” and the title track? Close your eyes and fill up your ears. Breathe this one in deep. The first great LP of 2016 has arrived.