Moonwink - The Spinto Band

This band is so underrated it's not even funny.

Seriously found this band on accident, like most good bands are (see: Jukebox the Ghost, Margot and the Nuclear So & So's). Luckily, they are getting some exposure, but it's still not nearly enough. I happened upon them from their music video for the song Pumpkins & Paisley, and immediately bought the album.



In a word, the whole album is pure joy.

What other band can actually pull off the lyric 'la la la la la la la la' (actual lyrics from P&P) well? Honestly. The whole idea behind it is a kind of joyful outburst, and it's reflected in the entire album.

Let me tell you a story of Lemon Demon. Lemon Demon is a pet band by Neil Cicierega, best known for his efforts in Potter Puppet Pals. Anyways, he made a band called Lemon Demon that was essentially him singing rediculously silly songs on his Keytar and filling the listener with a kind of cathartic joy. The songs Word Disassociation and Ode to Crayola being my favourites (Cicierega also wrote the popular interweb song Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny)

The Spinto Band takes the genius and joy of Lemon Demon and brings it to a new level. They are able to make songs that sound both very adult and very appealing to the 5-year-old in each of us, channeling the good olde days when we used to adore the simple songs and melodies of children's music. Moonwink, on the other hand, gives us that feeling without feeling the embarassment of actually having to listen to a children's album (read: NO! by TMBG, or any of their countless Here Come the... albums). The aforementioned Pumpkins & Paisley is terrific, but overshadows some of the even better works like The Cat's Pajamas and Needlepoint.

Find this album, people. Tell your friends. Let good bands like this make it big so that, god forbid, there will be some good music on the radio. Spinto is darn close to making it mainstream, and I say more power to them.