California band The
Spell released an album last March called HA HA, VWAH LAH. It didn’t garner very much fanfare and it still
hasn’t found much traction beyond their home town of Long Beach. The band’s
style of music is something of an eclectic one, with some tracks heavy with
blues influences whereas others have more of a classic rock vibe. There are
even some tracks that take a lot from R&B. So, The Spell covers a broad
spectrum in terms of musical style, which makes for nice surprises while
listening through the album.
The album itself was mastered and mixed by one of the band
members in their home studio where the entire album was also recorded. This
fact is rather impressive given the final product has very few noticeable
issues. Generally speaking, many home albums produced in home studios rely too
much on distortion in order to cover up the imperfection often associated with
do-it-yourselfers. HA HA, VWAH LAH
has a number of memorable tracks the highlights of which are: Bury Me Alive, Where Are We Going and Use You Like I Used To.
Bury Me Alive has
a great intro reminiscent of something you might hear from the late great Freddie
Mercury. The track relies heavily at first on the lead singer’s vocals and it’s
not until the tail end of the track that the instrumental portions take center
stage. Use You Like I Used To is much more of a sultry number, reveling in
the idea of rekindling old flames in a cold-hearted manner. The song is similar
in style to bands like Garbage.
The music video that the band posted on YouTube back in
October of last year, for the track Pieces
of Me is also worth mentioning. The video has a very literal interpretation
of the song’s lyrics and features a group of lingerie clad cannibals consuming
pieces of The Spell’s members. In a music video first the lead singer’s dick is
cut off and then licked by one of his sexy captors.
The Spell may
rely on the style of past greats but in an industry filled with musicians who
are practically impersonators, this band stands apart.
