A Thing Called Divine Fits

A Thing Called Divine Fits could also be called a thing that Britt Daniel (Spoon) and Daniel Boeckner (Wolf Parade) came up with during downtime from their full-time bands. A Thing Called Divine Fits could also be called a thing that sounds very similar to the herky-jerky Kill The Moonlight–era Spoon, with an emphasis on synthesizers as opposed to guitars.

One's appreciation of Divine Fits relies (heavily) on one’s tolerance for ’80s synth-pop. For example, if you hold fond memories of INXS' chart domination during the Reagan years, you will probably really dig this disc. If the same memories induce suicidal tendencies (the thoughts, not the band), avoid this disc as you would SARS.

What works best for me on this CD are the songs that veer the most into Krautrock territory. "Like Ice Cream" nails it in this respect by riding a fantastic groove straight into the sunset. Who needs changes when you have the perfect feel from the start? Just sprinkle on some synth hooks and handclaps and you have a delicious treat. "Would That Not Be Nice" works this motif as well, the difference on this one being its expertly crafted reprise, which kicks the song back into gear just when you think its winding down. At the other end of the spectrum, "Civilian Stripes" shows this band can deliver a simple, acoustic-driven rock song with the best of them. It is this last one that seems most worthy of mention. Divine Fits have been covering "You Got Lucky" — yes, the Tom Petty song — in concert. That song is genius in how it is a dark rock song with a synthesizer hook as its foundation. Divine Fits seem to have zeroed in on the experimental side of synth-rock for their debut, hopefully the sequel shows how experimental sounds can be applied to more traditional songs with the same success. Oh, wait, we already have a band that does that: Spoon.

• Album: A Thing Called Divine Fits
• Artist: Divine Fits
• Label: Merge
• Songs: (1) My Love Is Real (2) Flaggin A Ride (3) What Gets You Alone (4) Would That Not Be Nice (5) The Salton Sea (6) Baby Get Worse (7) Civilian Stripes (8) For Your Heart (9) Shivers (10) Like Ice Cream (11) Neopolitans