Published on Jun 3, 1999
Most people probably consider the Spin Doctors to be the answer
to a trivia question about ’90s alternative music. After setting
the genre on its ear with their quirky but catchy style of funky
alternative rock on “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and “Two Princes”,
and with lead singer Chris Barron’s pseudo-hippie approach to the
music, the band seemed to be a shot in the arm that alternative
rock needed.
Then came the stinkburger
Turn It Upside Down, which was so bad that it made me lose
complete interest in this band. A shuffling of band members and an
almost unheard-of third album later, they seemed to be doomed to
musical limbo.
But, wait – not so fast. Now comes their fourth studio effort
Here Comes The Bride, and not only have the Spin Doctors all
but abandoned the sound that brought them fame and got old
overnight, but they’ve put out a pretty damn good album – something
I honestly never expected to say about this disc prior to giving it
a few spins in the CD player.
Barron and crew (I’m working off a white label promo, and I
don’t have a listing of current band personnel) wisely don’t try to
recapture the magic that struck them in the early ’90s; instead,
they choose to plow a new musical path which still keeps a bit of
the goofiness that endeared the band to millions.
What I’m afraid of is that radio will jump on those moments of
silliness, like “Gorilla Boy”. The problem with doing this is
twofold: first, this is hardly the strongest material on
Here Comes The Bride; second, it’s hardly characteristic of
where the band is today.
Even on the title track, which does start out with the strains
of the wedding march, Barron and crew quickly turn the track into
something more significant, and by combining solid songwriting with
a more solid rock base in the playing, put their money where their
mouths are. Even the tango-like qualities of “Vampires In The Sun”
hold up well because, despite the different approach to the music,
they take a more serious approach to their craft.
What hammers things home for the Spin Doctors are tracks like
“The Man,” “The Bigger I Laugh The Harder I Cry,” “WOW” and “Gone
Mad,” songs that all dare the listener to accept them for what they
are, not the band’s past. Looked at in that light, the bulk of
Here Comes The Bride is exceptional.
There still are a few weak moments (“Dodging Assassins” just
doesn’t seem like they put as much effort into it as they could
have), and the “hidden” track is a wasted effort in goofiness, but
Here Comes The Bride does something that you never would
have expected from the Spin Doctors: it challenges you to take them
seriously. After all, you don’t want to blow your second chance at
the spotlight.