On A Pound for the Peacebringer, Spider Kitten delves into a dense world of grungy sludge, often recalling Dirt-era Alice in Chains, particularly on “Bellwether” but also album closer “Fluid Druid” and sections of the 17-minute title track that opens the album. On either side of “Bellwether” are the acoustic folk number “Safe to Drown” and dark lament “God’s Song,” both stripped of all percussion. While there is undoubtedly something of the late Layne Staley about vocalist (and guitarist) Chi Lameo in Spider Kitten’s heavier offerings, including the title track, on “God’s Song,” we’re much closer to the (also late) Mark Lanegan. It’s an ominous, breathy performance that is clearly deeply personal, as I think much of A Pound for the Peacebringer is, as Lameo implores “Lord if you won’t take care of us, won’t you please, please let us be.”
Opening with a woozy, distorted country number that sounds so familiar, but which I was utterly unable to place (maybe that was the point), Spider Kitten then shifts into Alice in Chains-meets-Masters of Reality-meets-Helmet mode on the title track, as rumbling, sludgy guitars and ponderous drumming forms the backdrop to the slightly discordant double vocals of Lameo and drummer Chris West. On my first listen, the shift into the stripped-back folk, jaunty and uplifting on “Safe to Drown” (vaguely recalling The Tallest Man on Earth), and brooding and melancholic on “God’s Song,” caught me completely off guard. But the two halves of Spider Kitten’s sound pair together extremely well, giving A Pound for the Peacebringer a weird flow and strangely beautiful quality, despite the rough-hewn edges to much of it.
That rough-hewn quality continues into the production, which on the grungier sludge numbers is packed with reverb and a thick bass sound, paired with a dirty guitar tone. I like that the vocals are clear and audible but don’t dominate. If I was going to pick a weak point, it would be the drums, particularly on “Fluid Druid,” which just feel slightly underweight but not enough to be objectionable. It’s hard not to analyze the two folk numbers separately, as they are so different in sound, but Lameo’s vocals sound on point and are nicely balanced with the guitars. Even if the huge difference in bit rate (see Format Reviewed below) that I had to work with here artificially inflated the DR score a little, the sound on this thing is ideal for what Spider Kitten have put out.
As I said at the outset, you never know which Spider Kitten are going to serve up but it will always be interesting. Sometimes it will even be metal. On this occasion, there is not much metal on show but there is no doubt that A Pound for the Peacebringer is interesting and, for those that connect with it, it’s a very good record. I’m one of those people. For some reason, despite only very limited sonic similarities, it reminds me of Mark Lanegan’s Whiskey for the Holy Ghost, which is always a good thing and I find the flowing moods of this record oddly moving. Much more moving, in fact, than I would have expected if someone simply described the sound to me, just as I am attempting to describe it to you now. So I guess you’d better go listen for yourself.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: Inexplicable2
Label: APF Records
Websites: spiderkitten.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/spdrkttn
Releases Worldwide: September 1st, 2023
