Pulse of the Twin Cities

Local record guy, Mike Siddall, has done it again. His label, doubleplusgood, has brought the driving strains of H.chinaski to the Twin Cities, and now he heas brought the oppressive sludge of the Spiveys (pronounced SPY-vees) from Chicago.
Thematically, V is similar to Radiohead’s latest offering, Kid A. Both albums serve as a reminder that things are only as good (or bad) as you make them. But while Radiohead wake you gently, the Spiveys crash into your bedroom wall like a runaway freight train. And where Kid A likes to explore the recesses of the inner self, V is the sonic equivalent of a pure energy blast coming from one singular point somewhere deep inside. Or the way it would feel to be sloe gin drunk on a roller coaster. The Spiveys exhibit the same brutal-yet-playful energy of the Cows, and yet the whole record sneaks in under the wire at just short of 30 minutes.
These guys have to be in great shape: this music must hurt to make. A shower of musical magnesium sparkles a listener with white hot sonic embers, and the album even shakes some of the same snotty power in which Neil Young occasionally indulges.

Delusions of Adequacy

I knew the Spiveys as one of the best live bands in Chicago and probably the most underrated. I couldn't understand why more people weren't hip to what these guys were up to. By the same token, I also secretly loved the fact that I could go to a party, and there would be a good chance that the Spiveys would be bashing away in the corner, two guitars and a drummer, making half of the crowd's collective jaw drop and scaring the living shit out of the other half. They're one of those rare breed of bands that just really jelled well together. These guys all knew what moves their bandmates would make before they even made them. They shared a brain. I once heard the band make jokes on stage about not being able to find a place to practice for weeks before that show. The crowd laughed (mostly in disbelief, because it was a really tight set), but I think the band was being serious. I don't think they needed to practice much, the same way you and I don't need to practice breathing. It just came naturally for them, and I was lucky enough to catch them often. ...more

Maximum Rock N Roll

Spiveys- By Caesarian

A very strange record, this one. Comes off indie rock in intent, no patches or Mohawks for these boys, mixing it up with equal parts 90s Ohio scene guitar squeal and almost emoesque vocal inflections. The songs ain’t dumbo, but they aren’t intellectual like so many pretentious sweater-weather wall-hugging bands of today. They have a sound I really don’t expect to run into here at PRU, so I could fall back onto comparisons, but I fucking hate doing that to new bands. Uh, here’s a new guitar band writing cool sounding non-cliché rock workouts that might remind you of something off that recent Troubleman Unlimited comp. How’s that? Fuck it, try VSS without the electronica.