Another Way to Shine

I have to confess that Spiritual Beggars is a band that has a special place in my heart. They seemed to be the soundtrack to my life for a certain period, every album with a certain taste to it that made it one of a kind, different attitudes, but always true to itself and to what it is: a ’70-era psychedelic rock/stoner metal blend that put up that perfect “fuck-it” demeanor to it, being blunt and funny on one side, deep and sarcastic on the other.

Yet, whilst maintaining this demeanor almost perfectly ‘till Demons (in my opinion), there is clearly an evolution in the band’s style. Even here there are improvements from the still-good eponymous first full-length of Spiritual Beggars. The raw ideas of the first CD, the retro-style, the tripping grooves and the crunchy rock riffs, were refined, giving every song its clear shape. I heard 'Spiritual Beggars' several times, but can’t really remember any of the tracks, maybe the first one will work on me like “Oh, that’s the first from 'Spiritual Beggars'!”, but the second full-length had something of its own charm. Maybe it’s just because SB had still to find its own direction and was still heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix, so had to pay a tribute to Him while working on its own material.

The first impact of the album is the proof that their first effort paid off big time. “Magic Spell” kicks in from a feedback intro and delivers the listener with a catchy as hell riff of Amott’s concoction and a steady percussion matrix from Witt. Spice… well, it’s goddamn Spice! I love the guy, he’s exactly in place as the vocalist, with his raspy singing, being powerful without the need to force himself, while delivering a pretty solid bass track that mixes tastefully with the energy of the whole album.

With “Blind Mountain” I became fully aware of the perfect teamwork those guys had. Everyone here has its moment of glory: the guitar, the bass, even the drum at some points. There’s not much room to be technical in both subgenres I gave SB, but the musicianship here is solidly over the average. The voice is awesome, the guitar is catchy and the solos are discreet, but full of heart. The drum transitions are smooth and not forceful, giving the other guys plenty of room for blending into the music.

Leaving the first impact of those two songs, the album starts to follow a pattern, delivering some mid-tempo rockers straight from a biker’s bar (Misty Valley, Picking from the Box, Entering into Peace), which are enough entertaining to keep the listener unconsciously focused to the flow of the album. Seems then natural to delve into thoughtful personal dilemmas (Nowhere to Go, Entering into Peace, Sour Stains). Here is where their blues influence seeps right through, with a sweet voice effect that makes Spice even more awesome to hear at. Here we hear some of the most touching lyrics of the record. The lyrics before were all about drinking, smoking, getting high... Yeah, there was even sorrow in that self-immolation, but we don’t understand what’s lying underneath it ‘till we hear that blues. There is a certain angst, a feeling of never being understood by your family, calling them liars (Nowhere to Go), then the anxiety that someone feeling alone has to get acquainted to, when the day is over and he’s alone with himself, drinking and smoking, so he can lull that nightmare to sleep, just for a while (Sour Stains). This really delivers it home to me every time.

The outro, then, smoothly prepares the listener to exit the world that Another Way to Shine opened the door to. One beat at a time, like recovering from a hangover the other songs gave you while you consumed them, “Another Way to Shine” progresses through, still holding the primal instincts that the first tracks unravel, but clearly facing them with a clearer state of mind, thrashing on society’s hypocrisy and parassitism. I can’t really relate to that, maybe because being alternative here is a bit more accepted in my little town, maybe because everyone here thinks it’s a thing young people must have, before being acceptable members of society… dunno ‘bout that, we’ll see in a couple of years. But still, I can associate this song to some of my same-age brethren pretty well, so I don’t feel it as something “alien” to me. Spiritual Beggar’s farewell “Past the Sound of Whispers” is a calm piece with trippy vocals and crunchy riffs. The lyrics are pretty much of someone still haunted by his anxieties and in a mid-life crisis, trying to escape with his trusty guitar. The angst, the sorrow, it’s there and it’s just pretty clear that Spice (or the whole band itself) had gone through some bad shit before writing this (or any Spiritual Beggars, I suppose, but this doesn’t make it sound any forceful). The symbol of the “fairy”, I’m still not sure to whom or what I'd rather associate her with… was it some romance interest that for some reason left? The writer’s sanity dismissing him slowy? Or, maybe, it even was his own guitar all along, making the strings dance like he wants, but being distant and disattached at the same time! Maybe altogether or none, maybe just wine+weed hallucinations or stuff…

The production itself, even being true to its vintage feel, is not bad at all, every single component of the band mixes well with the whole. The CD was recorded in the same studio some of my favorite albums were born (Amon Amarth, Kaamos, Witchery), so I suppose it was obvious I’d like the work of the producer Berno Paulsen! The tracks have the right amount of saturation that kind of music needs, without suffocating the expressiveness of the guitars/bass or distorting the drum track. The recording was almost perfect, precise on the cuts and with an overall equalization that had no significant, annoying peaks. Berno Studio really did a great job!

This was the CD that threw Spiritual Beggars into the music business for good. It’s overall awesome, it just feels a bit too much broad in some places, so that feels almost dispersive. I remember stopping myself from changing the record for a couple of times because the mood I wanted from Spiritual Beggars had waned for a bit, but I resisted, giving it a good listen and instead starting to read the sheet behind the cover, discovering some interesting, unexpected thanks (Leif Edling??). Anyway, when you want a raw Spiritual Beggars experience, this album is the thing, setting the mood and a solid base for all the next albums to be inspired by.