Following up the their well-received 2006 effort, Nice and Nicely Done, Delaware indie rockers
Spinto Band deliver more angular, rambunctiously creative pop on 2008's
Moonwink. Although
Spinto Band remain devoted to artful songcraft, longtime fans may find themselves missing some of the more emotionally resonant electro-pop of Nice and Nicely Done. Nonetheless,
Spinto Band are a ceaselessly melodic ensemble and here they mix such pop touchstones as '60s psychedelic pop and '80s new wave with a kind of general indie pop sensibility. Such tracks as leadoff cut "Later On" and the bubbly "Summer Grof" are frothy, immaculately executed nuggets of neo-sunshine pop that should draw quick comparisons to classic acts like
the Kinks as well as contemporary acts like
the Futureheads. However, the truth is somewhere in between, as
Spinto Band are neither a classicist pop act nor are they as mathematically post-punk as
the Futureheads. That said, there is a thick strain of vaudeville running through much of
Moonwink that comes through most prominently on such aptly named mid-album tracks as "The Carnival," "The Cat's Pajamas," and "They All Laughed." Here
Spinto Band pile on the nasal vocal harmonies over piano, horns, and driving beats -- as well as the occasional wolf whistle and backing "la la la" -- essentially revealing themselves as a kind of modern indie rock take on British music hall.