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Aug 28, 2012 Divine Fits By Paul Bullock

Britt Daniel (Spoon), Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs), and Sam Brown (New Bomb Turks) deliver one of the most interesting debut albums of the year with their new synth-soaked supergroup. This record is packed with deeply danceable pop songs that in many cases could best be described as New Wave, as they incorporate many of the elements of early post-punk (most notably ‘50s and ‘60s nostalgia and strong, melodious hooks) in a clean, commercially friendly presentation provided by producer Nick Launay (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grinderman).

From the catchy opener “My Love is Real” with its first chorus of “My love is real/until it stops,” a rich vein of dark humor runs through most of these tracks, giving them a substantial weight and depth but keeping enough ironic distance so that they never get too emotive. “Would That Not Be Nice” has much of the same tension as an early 2000s Girls Can Tell / Kill the Moonlight-era Spoon recording until it tumbles over on itself with echoing, processed vocals and a gorgeous, warbling clavioline line. But perhaps the real gem here is the acoustic guitar driven “Civilian Stripes,” a straightforward jam with polite harmonies that goes to show that a simple song can often be the most powerful.

A Thing Called Divine Fits does a fantastic job building on many of the strengths of its members to create a new, exciting project. Fans of all three members’ other bands will find something to enjoy, especially folks who love 2011’s criminally underrated Handsome Furs album Sound Kapital. These guys sound like they’ve been playing together for a long time, and here’s hoping they keep at it for years to come.

(www.divinefits.com)

Author rating: 8/10