The latest by the Spider Bags, who plan to forgo a new LP in favor of a series of 7"s for the foreseeable future, boasts a boisterous, unfettered enthusiasm and playful charm that's nearly irresistible. These two tracks are rife with bell-ringing hooks and foot-tapping energy, blending power pop and '60s garage. Indeed, this platter recalls a classic single in its pairing of a rushing pop paean and a more luxurious ballad.
Opener "Teenage Eyes" is a jumping little rave-up driven by a jangling riff, Jerry Lee Lewis piano ride and handclaps and tambourines that run its two-and-a-half-minute race like it's pursued by the cops. It expresses a longing for a place where police sirens wail before frontman Dan McGee encounters the girl of his dreams at his intervention. She's enough to give him "teenage eyes all day."
It's backed by "Eileen," a slower-paced but still spirited track with a woozy swagger, in which hip-swinging confidence is nothing but a dodge to disguise an embarrassing turn of events. In a plaintive tone, McGee explains how he tried on his girlfriend's clothes while she was out, only to be interrupted by the arrival of her other lover. An inspired story delivered with a lighthearted attitude, it's difficult to deny.
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