and there I was, all misty eyed

Artist: The Spill Canvas
Album:Denial Feels So Good EP
Label: Sire Records
Release Date: May 1, 2007

This EP from South Dakota's The Spill Canvas is meant to serve as a way to hold over hungry fans before the release of another full length this summer. This EP does exactly that, and at the same time whets your appetite for more.

The EP opens with Tom Lord-Alge's remix of "Staplegunned," originally from One Fell Swoop. Admittedly, it's not a drastic change from the original - just a few more layers of guitars and some extra noodling toward the end of the song. However, these minor changes make the song rock just a little harder than it does in its original mix.

There are two covers on the EP - Fleetwood Mac's "Gold Dust Woman," and Donovan's "Catch The Wind." With both songs, the band displays their ability to make the song their own while still maintaining the original vibes of the songs. There's even incorporation of a harmonica in "Catch The Wind." "Gold Dust Woman" in particular translates very well into a Spill Canvas song.

The two new songs, "To Live Without It" and "Appreciation" show great promis for the upcoming LP. "To Live Without It" moves along faster than anything from the previous LPs, with the exception of "Natalie Marie And 1cc." Nick Thomas gives the lyrics a different cadence than anything he's done before, which leads one to hope there will be a wider variety of song styles on the new CD.

"Appreciation" follows the vein of songs like "Aim, Snap, Fall" with its slow acoustic buildup. It's nice to know that the band has not completely abandoned their established sound.

In short, Denial Feels So Good shows us that The Spill Canvas are ready to go with new material that may top anything they've done previously. If the rest of the new songs sound like the ones included here, this album should be a real treat to hear.


Tracklisting:
01. Staplegunned (Remix) *
02. Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac cover) *
03. To Live Without It
04. Appreciation And The Bomb
05. Catch The Wind (Donovan cover)

* - standout track

For fans of: Armor For Sleep, Anberlin, Mae

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