Top Album of 2011 Candidate - Craft Spells, “Idle Labor”

When I first regarded the cover for this album, I was reminded of the lush photography of flower arrangements on albums of years’ past in particular New Order’s “Power, Corruption and Lies;” and Pale Saints’ “Mrs. Dolphin.” While you won’t find any cuts like “The Colour of the Sky” here, this CD does channel Peter Hook in its basslines (or, at least, their quizzical relationship to the leading guitar.) The programmed beats are rather rigid, but they get along appropriately and stand figures up. Synthesized organs were a difficult cow in 2011’s marketplace. Hopeful and upbeat, yet yearning for the pedal-soaked chords that dance beyond the boundaries set forth by the drum machine… Craft Spells really pulls its own image off effectively in the end. I look forward to a release next year that experiments with keys and vocal aptitude more. This is a great album for a listless drive in the snow, with the heat on, and I look forward to that application very soon.