Spokes are all about the dynamics. There’s the slow, tentative start, the building-up of melodic layers, before the final grand climax. Pretty much all the songs on ‘People Like People Like You’ follow this pattern, and it works a treat for the Manchester five piece.
A few sparse vocals feature here and there, but its mainly about the interplay between the drums, guitar and violin. ‘Young People All Together’ builds up slowly before the tempo quickens and some shouty vocals kick-in. Then everything explodes into uproar, with frenetic drumming and squalling guitars.
A similar thing happens on ‘Scatter I Miss You’ as a simple guitar line lulls you in before more intricate instrumentation makes its presence felt. Some distorted guitar starts-up in the background, but it doesn’t overwhelm the main melody, which explode into life. ‘Precursor’ is probably the most restrained track, as vocal laments blend with a mournful violin as the guitars intensify.
‘Sometimes Words Are Too Slow’ is masterful, with the guitars building before a melodic interlude chimes in. After six minutes the melody shifts and the guitars start building to an inevitable crescendo as the violin weeps in the background. Sure, it’s a trick that’s repeated on just about every track on this album, but Spokes make it sound so spectacular that you can’t fail to be moved. The album is rounded off by ‘End Credits/Loveletter’ which offers up more gorgeous melodies and shifting dynamics.
Spokes are one of those reverie-soundtracking bands that take you on a journey with their songs. You could probably compare them to Mogwai, Sigur Ros and My Latest Novel but their sound is very much their own. ‘People Like People Like You’ is a graceful, uplifting, album that is well worth investigating.