The Spill Canvas
One Fell Swoop

When the head of influential scene site                      www.absolutepunk.net , Jason Tate, announced The Spill Canvas’s sophomore disc, One Fell Swoop, as his “album of the year” the hype, and expectations, for this record went through the roof, so when the disc landed in our mailbox I jumped at the chance to hear it.

I must admit that I prejudged the album as the first song, Lust a Prima Vista began. Right off the bat I figured them for a run-of-the-mill indie pop rock band. By the time the song ended and the second song, Staplegunned, began I was sold. Staplegunned proved to be an incredible song, lyrically well written and emotionally charged. With its starts and stops and strangely easy flows into melody the song is a treat for the ears. Especially catchy lyrics like “The chemistry between us could destroy this place” will have you singing along in the car in no time.

Writer/vocalist Nick Thomas has a natural storytelling ability that is displayed perfectly in Valiant as he tells a heart wrenchingly beautiful tale about devotion, sacrifice and the need for someone to stay with, what could be construed as, a bit of a supernatural twist. Or not. Such is the beauty of The Spill Canvas. Enough detail to make the song real and enough ambiguity to allow for interpretation, like the Andrew Wyeth painting Christina’s World. It’s beautiful and raw and real but what does it mean?

If you haven’t heard the 2004 release of mainly acoustic songs, Sunsets and Car Crashes, the two acoustic tracks on this album The Dutch Courage and Self-Conclusion will be a few special treats for you. But I’m a total sucker for acoustic.

A unique sonic blend of The Counting Crowes, Matchbox 20, Live and a bit of Say Anything thrown in for good measure makes a great swirl of paint that comes out as One Fell Swoop, the sophomore release from The Spill Canvas. I suggest picking up a copy soon, everybody will be talking about them.

Review by Kimberly Dalton