Album Review: Spindrift - Classic Soundtracks Vol. 1

It's probably no coincidence that LA outfit Spindrift does the odd soundtrack (or record approximating the soundtrack to an obscure cult movie, in some cases; though in this case each song will evidently turn into its own cult flick) record every now and again, given that their music has an inherently, wonderfully cinematic heartbeat. Latest offering, Classic Soundtracks Vol. 1, sees the band continue to mine their golden spacecake spaghetti western on acid in the desert sound.

To love Spindrift is a wonderful thing indeed, my friends. Their music is escapism, from the mess we live in to times and places not experienced by any but the lucky believers. Classic Soundtracks Vol. 1 begins ever so mystically, with the pan flute of a forlorn Indian tribesman, that floats into the void before it's hardly begun, leaving one to wonder what's over the next hill. The answer to that riddle is "Space Vixens Theme," which I'm considering playing as my entrance music whenever I walk into a room. It's an explosion of sound, ranging from the sultry grooves of 70s blaxplotation flicks to the sitar and lady vocals fit for the golden age of Bollywood, all and sundry swapping sonic bodily fluids with each other and the offbeat westernism-on-the-verge-of-insanity sound you might expect out of Spindrift.

"Hellbound," a song I'd had the pleasure of hearing live last November, is a breakneck-paced romp through a sun-drenched, sun-bleached, sun-choked landscape of stark deserts littered with animal bones and haunted by all sorts of rowdy ancestors. "When I Was Free" conjures up images of Nudie suits and Pioneertown to me, with its exaggerated twanginess and cowpoke on the range vibe. Listening to this song, and the record in its entirety, I can almost imagine each individual song as cinematic happening, so alive and epic is each offering. "Theme from Amboy" is more of that Spindrift western flavor, reminiscent of lawless loners (particularly in this case) roaming the dusty landscape looking for trouble. Call it modern folklore with a twist.

Once the dust has settled on this heck of a rollicking trip through the annals of history, time, space, and back again, one thing is clear. Well, two things. The first being that Spindrift is the best of their ilk at this sort of space spaghetti, without a doubt, and the second being that Classic Soundtracks Vol. 1 is probably one of my favorite records of this year. And that's that.

mp3: Space Vixens Theme (Spindrift from Classic Soundtracks Vol. 1)