A Concept Of Love

Spiral Stairs “Emotions”

The last time Spiral Stairs put out a record was about eight years ago, and I reviewed it for Pitchfork. I know the review bothered him a lot, and I don’t blame him. I wrote about how he served as an important foil to Stephen Malkmus in Pavement, and stand by that. I compared their dynamic to that of Milhouse Van Houten and Bart Simpson, which I think is accurate, but also kinda mean. Again, I can’t blame Spiral for hating that review. (For what it’s worth, Milhouse is by far my favorite Simpons character.)

It’s weird knowing that one of the guys in my favorite band personally dislikes me, especially since I have nothing but good feelings about him. Spiral is an underdog I like to root for, and a talent who has been undervalued for getting on 25 years. Part of the problem here is that it’s hard to stand up for Spiral’s gifts without seeming contrary or overzealous. He’s not an idiosyncratic, one-of-a-kind genius like Malkmus. He’s original and interesting in a less obvious way, and connecting with him requires some degree of identification with his particular type of artsy nerdiness and his oddly evasive approach to expressing himself.

Even at his most direct – which accounts for a lot of his new album, Doris and the Daggers – Spiral seems like a guy who wants to say something straightforward, but gets shy and walks that feeling back a bit. Malkmus isn’t much different, actually. But whereas that guy projects a superhuman ease and confidence, Spiral can’t help but seem awkward and self-effacing. This is not a bad thing! My favorite Spiral moment is when he pushes himself to go louder and more plaintive in “Kennel District” – “I wanted to stay there / but you know I needed more than that” – and conveys an aching regret anyone could recognize. Not every line of that song scans, but he wasn’t afraid to make sure the important bits stand out. “That little look in your eye.” “I was busted in my gut that time I said ‘I know it’s true.’” “Why didn’t I ask, why didn’t I ask, why didn’t I ask?” It’s the closest thing Pavement ever came to something that could’ve been in a John Hughes movie, and there’s no way it could’ve come from Malkmus. I can’t imagine Malkmus ever actually experienced the feeling of that song, or at least he didn’t in the way a guy like Spiral could.

“Emotions,” like pretty much all the songs on Doris and the Daggers, has this crisp, sunny tone that is immediately recognizable as Spiral’s aesthetic. It was there in the later Pavement records, and has carried through most of his Preston School of Industry and solo material. It’s become cleaner over time as his playing has become more confident and precise. The new songs sound like little labors of love, you can hear the patience and care that went into them. The guy who used to be even more off-the-cuff than Malkmus has evolved into the type of guy who lives with songs for a while, and invests each with some personal significance. You really can hear eight years of life in the album – ending and starting relationships, watching a kid grow up, moving across the world. It’s like catching up with someone after too long.

Buy it from Amazon.