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"My Dear Radium flat out rocks, and does so without catchy choruses or the over-played punk rhythms that have infiltrated the mainstream and killed modern rock music. What this album has is a pulse, a life on its own which rides the waves of the tempo from song to song, without ever losing its energy. Geek is the new cool, thanks to innovative bands such as the Black Spoons."
- The Inferno (Chicago)
"Intelligent and independent, The Black Spoons are what Mission of Burma would have sounded like if they were from New York and focused more on poetry than politics. My Dear Radium has an infectious effect. It's light and catchy as it first enters the ear, but then it lodges into the back of the brain and starts to have an affect on the listener's cognitive ability. Horton's bass pulses with the same vibrations that had early Bowie or Police coursing through the veins of the 70s and 80s. The sharp beats from Mercado's drums hook into the back of the mind and keep the song in your head long enough for the depth of Sean's voice and lyrics to sink in, and realize, as Sean says, that a lot of that album comes out of the end of something in my life that was very big."
-MVRemix.com
"The only hardworking band in New York City. The band's influences range widely, from classic singer-songwriters, such as David Bowie and Leonard Cohen, to indie bands like Blonde Redhead and Cat Power. These influences are revealed less in their sound than in their structure, as the band favors mid-tempo, taut rhythm exercises with tight verse-chorus-verse patterns. The playing is propulsive and professional, and Sean's beginnings as an acoustic singer-songwriter are evident in the song construction, as well as in the lyrics, which include meditations on everything from science to broken relationships."
-Columbia Spectator (New York)
"New York City's trio recall David Bowie with their post-rock debut that's heavy on the guitar and substance and light on practically nothing. It's intelligent rock for the elite crowds that somehow appeals to the working class Joe's that will find comfort in their sincere lyrics and nonchalant approach."
-Smother.net
"There's a thousand other bands trying to capitalize on the success of rock's second coming these days, and some are good while some are bad. Even the best of them can suffer from unoriginality, making their albums enjoyable listens if not especially unique. But talent counts for a lot, and The Black Spoons have talent. My Dear Radium is filled with tight riffs, catchy rhythms, and fantastic vocals from star frontman Tom Sean.
-Delusions of Adequacy (album review)
"Though the trio is fairly new to the scene, they've mustered quite a crowd. The Black Spoons make up-tempo, guitar-driven tunes. Vocalist Tom Sean's range adds to the mix with weepy and soft-spoken moments working themselves into a fit of controlled shouting."
-NY Press
"A seductive album of unabashed, straightforward jangling indie rock. Though they're slightly enamored with their own schoolboyish lyrics, they lured me in with lines like 'You turned me on to things I thought I'd never do / Holy shit, she loves me, maybe I should love me, too'."
-Chicago Reader, The Treatment
"A swirling mix of mellow and frantic indie rock, there are few songs on the album that don't grab your attention. Whether it be the teary-eyed delivery of Never Ever, the garage-jam vibe of Patient Little Secret, or the jangly pop of Chemical Sue, it's hard to shake these infectious tunes, especially when they lay the melody on thick and throw a big hook your way like on Your Softest Leather."
-Illinois Entertainer
My Dear Radium "shimmers with clean guitars and laid-back vocals."
-Nashville Zine
"The 'Spoon sound' conveys an interesting blend of influences, as each individual listen to their latest LP, My Dear Radium, gives off vibes of random indy-emphatic proportions. Clean, crisp guitars quick flip to a deep murk and moody raunch that envelope each track's feel perfectly, while the lead vocals keep consistent with a satirical 80's punch. "Aristotle," one of the few softer songs on the album mixes the tone of Pink Floyd song-writing genius Roger Waters and the ever ecclectic David Bowie, with a splash of Sean Hayes's vocal flair, making for a soft-while-strong and sincere-while-sarcastic display. As the track numbers increase, so does the listeners temptation to start the album over again to possibly re-discover what you've been enjoying. I recommend enjoying the album start to finish a few times before deciding on favorites, but keeping the finger away from the RW button isn't such a nasty trait."
-Revolutionslive.com (Chicago)
"Your Softest Leather sensibly opens the album with one of the best lines in the band's lyrical arsenal: 'We don't deserve to be so pretty / but we are.' The song is a long burn, bursting into full-throated flower only on the triphammer chorus... 'Chemical Sue' is a seductive little charmer that turns on a nicely phrased guitar lick."
-Splendid
My Dear Radium "will find its way back into your stereo, and
it will keep ending up in there until you are hooked... Trust me,
your mind is powerless to the infectiousness of My Dear Radium."
- Indieworkshop.com
"The Black Spoons have graced us with a debut album rich with
earnest geek charm that's making me wish I had paid just a little
more attention in that high school chem. class."
- Cokemachineglow.com
"Terrific - by turns aggressive and sweet, and above all
intelligent. In these lads' near future lies a big studio with a
good producer - incidentally, all The Black Spoons need to achieve
undisputed greatness."
- The Deli
"Vintage New York...Think up-tempo garage rock done impeccably
and mixed with some of the best 80s influences (Bowie, Police, etc.).
The lead singer has a perfect voice, sounding a tad British in
inflection and carrying off a sound much bigger than the trio would
lead you to expect."
- Delusions of Adequacy (concert review)
"Dark local poetry-rock with some hearty guitar jangle and sweet
Bowie-in-space swish"
- Chuck Eddy, The Village Voice
"Breaking onto the New York scene with their debut CD,
My Dear Radium, the band is taut, but unrestrained. The romantically
tinged opening guitar on "Marie Curie" gives way to a
hook-laden melodic triumph that is carried throughout the album on
songs like "Chemical Sue" and "The Pleasure of Sin
Without Sin." Tunes like "Password" and "Patient Little Secret" are instantly memorable, yet never cliched, with a sultry
low-end tinge like early Led Zeppelin, but a mysterious modernity as compelling as Interpol...Its distinctly intellectual approach and discreetly eerie elegance, carried out by Tom Sean's softly wailing vocals, never undermine the emotional intensity of heartache this overwhelmingly harsh and hauntingly beautiful."
- Selloutmag.com
"Merging the worlds of academia, art, and music into one opus,
My Dear Radium is a return to the roots of essential rock and roll."
- heraclitussayz.com
"Fans of such eclectic artists as the fateful Jeff Buckley, folk great
Leonard Cohen, or the legendary Bowie will be sure to fall for the enchanting
music this power trio has to offer."
- Indie Music Explosion
"I must say I'm blown away how well-written, well-played, and well-sung
this stuff is... this is really what I'd call IMPORTANT MUSIC"
- Taxi A&R
"Menacing yet sensual... This incredibly good CD explores chemistry and
electricity both seen and unseen. A real head-bobber for you garage rock
fans."
- Radio Crystal Blue
The Black Spoons bring to mind "Pere Ubu, Spoon, and many other contemporary
greats with a dirty edge."
- Lio Cerezo, Crashin In
To contact your favorite radio station and request a song by The Black
Spoons, click HERE.
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