Musings on music delivered when I dig myself out.



Broken Spindles -- Fulfilled/Complete
Saddlecreek; 2004


When I see that an artist has a solo project coming out, I usually assume one of two things: Maybe the artist has a new side of themselves that they wish to share with the music-consuming public that has been restricted by being in a band; or that they're going to put out more of the same because they like sticking to their guns. Broken Spindles, the solo project of The Faint bassist Joel Peterson, truly aspires to be the former. Despite this, we get Fulfilled/Complete, a collection of songs that sound like The Faint's less-loved sibling trying to recreate the magic.

One of the noticeable differences between Broken Spindles and The Faint is the level of complexity. While The Faint utilizes a number of musical aspects (dark wave synths, patchwork drum programming, grim lyrics, guitars), Peterson is much happier to play it safe. Over the course of Fulfilled/Complete's 10 tracks, we get ham-fisted piano lines, skittering-yet-predictable drum patterns, the occasional angular guitar, and few surprises. The aptly titled "Song No Song" is a maudlin piano solo that aches to be haunting but only manages to be boring. "Practice, Practice, Preach" is more of the same, this time adding weepy strings. Even "To Die, For Death," the Butthole Surfers homage, comes off stale and understated.

So you would hope that since Peterson doesn't fare too well at creating organic music that he would at least be able to make something interesting with electronics. Prepare to have your hopes half fulfilled. Not unlike stereotypical electro tunes, "Fall In and Down On" casts Peterson as the murmuring overlord spewing nonsense over buzzing synths and samples (string arrangements for her pleasure!). Songs like "Move Away" and "The Dream" may have listeners checking if their players have switched to a Faint record, but are quite satisfying, pulling out the ol' bass guitar to keep bodies rocking. But on other electro-rock songs, like the repetitive "Italian Wardrobe," Peterson slashes out one No Knife-esque riff then bludgeons the listeners into boredom with it.

Fulfilled/Complete is an album too similar to parent group The Faint to establish Broken Spindles as anything other than a side project that people forget. Joel Peterson is much like a baby bird that left the nest too early. Until he can make the spikey-haired kids LiveJournal kids "OMG LOL!!1" like his brethren without ganking their material, it seems better that Broken Spindles stays in the nest.


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