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Broken Spindles
Inside/Absent
(Saddle Creek)
First Appeared in The Music Box, August 2005, Volume 12, #8
Written by T.J. Simon
On Broken Spindles’ third release Inside/Absent, Joel Peterson
presents 10 minimalist, techno-rock tunes that he created on his laptop during
his downtime on The Faint’s 2004 tour. He reportedly did not share the results
of the album with anyone until it was completed, and the resulting recordings
show him to be a talented composer and lyricist in need of more time and input
to develop his ideas into fully-realized songs.
Indeed, Inside/Absent is stuffed with half-baked musical concepts in
need of further incubation. For instance, the opening track Inward is
pleasant and unassuming, but although the piano tinkling sounds nice, it clearly
is not ready for the marketplace. With its techno-laced ambience, Please
Remember This recalls a rough demo tape from Nine Inch Nails, and Birthday is an under-produced but otherwise decent selection in the spirit
of Depeche Mode. In fact, the closest thing on the effort to a composition in
full bloom is The Distance Is Nearsighted, which showcases a cool groove
as well as vocals that are reminiscent of U2’s Numb.
In other words, there’s a fine line between lo-fi experimentation and messing
with some laptop recording software, and unfortunately, Broken Spindles
repeatedly falls on the wrong side of it throughout Inside/Absent.
Although Peterson showcases some good ideas and quality song fragments, his
attempt to record this album in solitary confinement can be viewed only as a
disappointing failure. 
Inside/Absent is available
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2005
The Music Box
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