Spindrift: The West
Spindrift mastermind Kirpatrick Thomas makes every effort to brand his group as hirsute outsiders wielding an affinity for Ennio Morricone soundtracks. But take a closer listen to “The New West” or “Excrete from the Collective Subconscious” from Spindrift’s debut full-length, The West, and there’s more to this group than cowboys and preachers. Thomas’ obsessions are less about mimicking antique aesthetics than fixating on the vast unknown — which is what the Wild West was all about. Not to say that such songs as “The Isle of Lost Souls” or “The Klezmer Song” aren’t cinematic. The album is a carnival of mysterious sounds and haunted Spaghetti Western images, dark, dramatic and brimming with old-timey psychedelia. 4 stars