Spiral Stairs - The Real Feel

Despite being voted Most Likely to Succeed alongside childhood friend Stephen Malkmus in the 1999 Pavement yearbook, Scott Kannberg has made only modest business with Preston School of Industry. They’ve been sitting dormant since 2004 and while they never brought his good name into disrepute, they never put out a song as good as Date w/ Ikea. Originally written in Pavement sleeves to invent a sense of mystery, the pseudonym Spiral Stairs has been resurrected and he’s back with ten tracks. The good news is, The Real Feel is a cut above the weak-as-warm-beer Preston School of Industry LPs. Stairs seems to have found his forte in slow-burning, bluesy indie rock - True Love and Stolen Pills in particular are sharp (but enjoyable) tugs on the testicles. The bad news is these are rare breaks in the gait, and the rock ‘n’ roll chug gets a little too familiar, all too fast. Fortunate then that we'll finally see that Pavement reunion next year. [Ian Crichton]