Spitalfield return with their Victory Records sophomore offering, Stop Doing Bad Things. At the production helm this time is Ed Rose (Get Up Kids, Coalesce, Motion City Soundtrack) and you can bet he helped the band evolve. The growth here from their last album is obvious right from the get go.
Above all else Stop Doing Bad Things is an amazingly catchy album, sometimes in an emo way and sometimes in a pure guitar pop way. Songs like "So I Heard You Joined a Convent" and "Gold Dust vs. State of Illinois" make you feel like you have known them for years. They have a warm sound to them that just draws you in in a Cars sort of way. There are a few moments here were the band rocks and rolls a bit more than you are expecting ("Tampa Bum Blues" and "From the Desk of B. Larsen") and it really helps to break the album up, thus keeping your attention much better than the bands previous efforts.
The most creative moment on this album is definitely "Van Buren" with its questioning lyric, "Are we living just to die? / Or are we just dying to live? / Either way we will all fall down..." This is an excellent song in all respects and easily the best song this band has ever written as far as I'm concerned. The reason I mention it is because on the surface this is one of those songs that people may overlook and they shouldn't. Start with this one!
All in all this is a good album. More often than not it rises above average and shows a band that is certainly evolving from a forgettable band into something else. The hooks are undeniable and that alone will probably get you to come back for a second and third listen. Fans of Piebald, Last Tuesday, and the like will find a lot to love here.
2/4
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