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Reviews of "The Very Thing That You Treasure"
"Beautifully crafted, laid-back pop songs as sunny as a fresh summer's day, and as melancholy as mid-fall, Spike Priggen's The Very Thing That You Treasure is a delicate, yet sophisticated acoustic pop record."Alex Steininger
In Music We Trust
"The Very Thing That You Treasure, Priggen will tell you, has been a lifetime in the making. Quite frankly it’s been worth the wait."Kurt Hernon
Bangsheet
If there is any justice in this teen-popping world, The Very Thing That You Treasure won't get lost on the streets. It's a sweet little treasure that deserves a home.Carrie Havranek
SonicNet
"The Very Thing that You Treasure is, quite simply, an amazing album. From the first track, a gorgeously reverby, jangly pop ballad called "Every Broken Heart," you know you're into something good. Priggen's voice is kind of nasal and a little bit awkward, but there is a gentleness to it that is immediately charming."Scout
Delusions Of Adequacy
"Next time I'm getting over a terrorizing, head-over-heels heartbreak, The Very Thing That You Treasure will be in the driver's seat, helping me cry myself into the nearest telephone pole. Until then, this unbelievably depressing CD will be sitting on my shelf, safe from unsuspecting ears that can't deal with its gut-wrenching power. Priggen definitely has issues with chicks, as several tunes (including "Every Broken Heart" and "She Used To Be My Baby") highlight a borderline obsessive-compulsive singer-songwriter bloodletting his emotions onto a recorded medium. Priggen has a way with words, and his exceptional lyrics weave intricate tales of desperation and loss that somehow, by the disc's end, inspire a sense of hope and yearning. Nonetheless, this potent collection of tear jerking, honky-tonk pop tunes is a marvelous expression of calculated emotional outbursts. Medical authorities should be contacted immediately, as this CD should only be allowed into your CD player with a prescription from your local psychiatrist."Andrew Magilow
Splendid E-zine
“To be blunt about it, this is a brilliant LP, and as debuts go ranks right up there with those of Marshall Crenshaw, Big Star and The Pretenders. It’s full of indelible hooks and I just want to keep playing it again and again and again…One of the year’s best”Toast Magazine
“Turns simple phrases around gorgeous melodies and into moving pop poetry”Mean Magazine
“Gloriously melancholy. Worth every minute of the ride.”Power Of Pop
“The very definition of bittersweet”Joey Sweeney
Time Out New York
"His lyrics seethe with John Lennon's anger (and wit), but most often, and most brilliantly, they hinge on the sort of forlorn melancholy that Chris Bell made so affecting."Red Tunic Troll
Amazon Customer Review
"In the finicky music world, Spike Priggen may well be destined to skirt around the perimeters of success for a few more years to come, but his satisfying songs are already worthy of a wider audience. Priggen's debut, The Very Thing That You Treasure, finds the accomplished musician joining the alt.country fray as a less cocky version of Ryan Adams. Two of the better offerings, Every Broken Heart and Outtasight take to the sort of countrified twang that R.E.M. tried for on 1991's Out Of Time. .. It is welcome news that Priggen has already set to work on a follow up."Rip It Up Magazine
"Priggen's songs are so melodic and throw up so many surprises both lyrically and sonically that it is hard not to love everything on this record.All of the tracks have been a favourite at different times so it is hard to pick out a standout song. It changes from the opening 'Every Broken Heart' to everything in-between that and the last song, 'So Good To See You', a strange psychedelic ballad full of weird effects and mellotron.Pennyblack Music Website
"In truth it's hard to single out tunes for praise when all 12 tracks are consistently solid. This is a 'song' record, an album that's not about glossy production or sampled drum beats. Spike Priggen writes damn good songs, and that's what you'll find on The Very Thing That You Treasure."Barfly.com
"Not the most rock 'n' roll of names, and one most likely that most of you have never encountered before, but then 'The Very Thing That You Treasure' isn't the most rock 'n' roll of records. In fact, the debut from New York based multi-instrumentalist Priggen is a wonderfully vibrant melting pot of eclectic pop rock styles that will have power pop fans drooling.Classic Rock (UK)
"Starting with a chorus of “Every broken heart is just like the first one”, Priggen shows his perfect hand early. Matching Teenage Fanclub with Matthew Sweet, he can’t help but sound like Big Star – which is even better! Irresistibly ragged production and endlessly bittersweet guitar solos will have you singing every line, and feeling like you wrote them all yourself. Proof beyond question that the one thing you can never grow out of is a teenage crush."TNT Magazine (UK)
"It's an album of confidant versatility, and the two years it took to record are evident in the sound of the material, the care that has been given. So often these days music can seem meaningless, vocals tossed away with a cheap rhyme, but not here."Logged Off Website
Americana UK Review of "There's No Sound In Flutes"
Spike Priggen “There’s No Sound in Flutes” (Re-action Recordings 2006)
Three times is definitely a charm
Jarvis Cocker recently asked what the point of writing about music is; well one of them is to pass on the virus when a record like this infects you, to get the word out for artists who deserve to have a massive audience. Spike deserves to be appreciated; he makes the kind of joyous intelligent music that should be a common denominator amongst music lovers of every stripe, the kind of thing that if someone doesn’t like then you think that they can’t like music. I feel bad for not owning his previous two efforts.
Each song is a mini-symphony to love crammed full of detail; like Matthew Sweet he is able to marry the discordant and the melodious into a satisfying whole. ‘Hideaway’ has corkscrewing lead guitar sparking above a bank of strings and sounds brilliant. After the drums usher in ‘I Know Everything’ and the melody takes over, you are in pop heaven; the hits keep on coming like a fantasy jukebox - ‘Everyone Loves Me but You’ draws on 50 years of pop history to deliver a succinct treatise on the put-down song.
Just to prove he doesn’t need to travel at warp speed to be effective, throw in a ballad ‘Disappointing Everyone’ with gentle strings, cool guitar and you’re devastated - or he picks up the acoustic for ‘The Only Girl (in the World),’ adds some fiddle and slide guitar and gives it a country feel. Crank up the balladry a notch, add in some flowing strings and you have ‘I’m So Glad You Broke My Heart,’ where big is definitely beautiful. Don’t forget the jangle pop though - ‘RIP Green Eyes’ finds some ground between REM, the Feelies and Kevin Tihista and fills it with a garden of power pop where sunshine vocals, chiming blooms of guitar and breezes of orchestration provide the perfect setting for the song. I hope that my words will make a few of you investigate further. Link.
Spike Priggen & Band at the Lakeside Lounge NYC Saturday
Please come down to the Lakeside Lounge and see me and this weeks band: Jay
Sherman- Godfrey & Chris Erikson on Guitars, Nancy Polstein on
Drums, Greg Beshers on Bass, and me, Spike Priggen on riddim guitar and
vocals. Hope to see you there.
LAKESIDE LOUNGE
Sat Sep 30 2006
11:00 Sharp
162 Avenue B (between 10th & 11th Streets)
New York, New York
212.529.8463
Photo by Ian Churchill
TransformOnline Review of "There's No Sound In Flutes"
Spike Priggen "There's No Sound in Flutes!"
By Tim Den
Uplifting sad songs that both rock and comfort.
"Even though there are far too few of us left, fans of standard-yet-smart guitar pop a la Jason Falkner, Jon Brion, The Kinks, etc. will be glad to know that guys such as Spike Priggen are still out there penning uplifting sad songs that both rock and comfort. Think of that crunchy Fender Twin sound with just the right touch of distortion, combined with eloquent vocals that speak in delicious, melodic lines, and throw in nooks-and-cranny lead breaks / drum fills / backup harmonies… voila! Catchy songs that are packed with sophisticated hooks, reeking of timeless relevance. Whatever happened to songs like these? Look around you: aside from Ben Folds and The Cardigans (who can’t even get a U.S. deal these days), are there any acts left who haven’t abandoned craft for gimmickry? Spike Priggen doesn’t use dance beats, wear mascara, rip off Joy Division, or rape synthesizers like useless electroclash fuckfaces: he has spent his entire life playing with giants (Jon Brion, DJ Dmitri, members of Laura Cantrell’s band, even Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos), and his material shows. There is a familiarity in his tunes because your subconscious remembers a time when “pop rock” was a compliment and not a dirty, “unhip” phrase, so embrace how absolutely enjoyable and intelligent this album is and drop the façade, will ya?" Link.
New Haven Register Brief Review & Gig Preview
"I'll review it in the Register soon, but I've been on vacation for the last couple weeks and really haven't been able to comment on former New Havenite Spike Priggen's new record, "There's No Sound In Flutes!"
If you pick up today's paper, open up Weekend and look at Making a Mix,
you'll find that Spike is this week's subject. In the feature, I
briefly mention how good the record is, but let me just say that this
disc will more than likely make it on my best-of 2006 list at the end
of the year.
It's simply power-pop goodness. The tunes go down easy and leave you feeling plump and happy, with a big belly full of power chords and piano fun.
The point of all this? Well, it'd be a shame not to check out Spike and his band (which will be full of guest stars) play at Cafe Nine Saturday. The gig brings Spike back home to celebrate the record's release, and you'll be able to buy the disc there.
As Nike likes to say, just do it. And then let me know right here what you think.
Deal? OK, deal." By Pat Ferrucci Link
The Onion A.V. Club Review of There's No Sound In Flutes!
Veteran alt-rock scenester, bedazzled.tv blogger, and all-around pop-culture junkie Spike Priggen makes music as a way of defining and expressing his eclectic taste, and on There's No Sound In Flutes! (Volaré), he celebrates simple pop songs pumped up with kitchen-sink orchestration. A lot of Priggen's songs sound as programmatic as homages can be, but he transcends his influences occasionally, like on "Little Star," a '70s AM-ballad exercise with a winning heart-on-the- sleeve lyric, and "Everyone Loves Me But You," a nasty bit of twangy power-pop. B-
By Noel Murray
New Haven Advocate Reviews of "There's No Sound In Flutes!" and "Pop As Can Be..."
Spike Priggen , There’s No Sound in Flutes (Volare).
New Haven native Michael “Spike” Priggen’s guitar-hooked pop songs are so catchy, you’re not sure what the titles are because every single lyric is so quotable. On the opening track, the verse goes “I know everything,” while the chorus wonders “Maybe it’s wrong to be right.” “Little Star” says “You know I’m not that smart/And you know I’m not that strong/And how could I be precious/When you bought me for a song?,” a sentiment continued on “Everyone Loves Me But You,” which begins “You think that you’re so smart…” Spike’s last disc was an all-covers project, so it’s thrilling to hear 11 Priggen originals in a row, his guitar, vocals and keyboards backed by the rocking yet reverent rhythm section of Scott Yoder and Brian Doherty, with guest appearances by Cheap Trick’s Bun E. Carlos and guitar great Mark Spencer. This instant pick-me-up keeps you up by varying the arrangements from alt-rock to alt-country to power pop. The angry-dad cover cartoon by Hate ’s Peter Bagge and cryptic album title cinch its irresistibility. —Christopher Arnott
TV Neats and the Excerpts , Pop As Can Be and Dance City All the Way (Wizzard in Vinyl).
Neat! Even more Spike Priggen! This Asian import collects 15 songs by his late-‘70s outfit TV Neats, plus one by the Excerpts (co-starring Hamden-raised popmaster Jon Brion). A bonus disc captures TV Neats live at New Haven’s ECA Arts Hall in early 1981. These peppy, propulsive pop tracks (with titles like “Dear Abby” and “I Said Oh No”) are an important document of the shaping of the local scene, as well as a snapshot of pure-pop Priggen before he deepened his sound via Hello Strangers. —C.A. Link
Third Volume Of Power-Pop Anguish Stretches A Bit Musically
Priggen's
third solo LP continues his catalog of anguished, melancholy power-pop
gems. He sings with a voice that's got the sweet sadness of Matthew
Sweet, chiming guitars ala Big Star, and wry twists of Cheap Trick, The
Cars and others. Trick's Bun E. Carlos even pounds the skins on two of
the album's tracks. Those who enjoy the Sweet's "Girlfriend" will find
much to enjoy in Priggen's catalog. The addition of strings on a few
tracks is a nice experiment - hanging the productions halfway between
the AM pop sides of the early-70s and the guitar-rock of mid-90s
college radio. The result supplements the feeling of desperation on
songs like "I'm So Glad You Broke My Heart," and provides accompaniment
to the giant chiming guitars of the Everly-esque "Disappointing
Everyone." Priggen is expert at drawing insecure protagonists who fall
apart in the face of their objects of disaffection, and sawing cellos
(whether real or synthesized) add an extra dollop of gravity. Even more
interesting are the atmospheric experiments with optigan and mellotron
that add a subtly shifting and pulsating backing to tunes like "Til It
All Falls Apart." Similarly, the swirling flute sounds and stabs of
processed vocals mixed into the electric 12-string guitar pop of
"R.I.P. Green Eyes" add a trippy edge in the manner of the Beatles
psychedelic-era material. Priggen turns Brian Wilson with "Little
Star," combining mellotron, a plucky Carole Kaye styled bass line, and
dramatic drum fills. In the end though, the album's killer track is one
of its most straightforward power-pop odes, "The Only Girl (in the
World)." This magnificent country-pop profile of the stuck-up girl that
you hate, envy and desire is perfectly accompanied by Jon Graboff's
twangy guitar playing and airy puffs of Hammond B3. As per Priggen's
usual methods, the closing track harbors a few bonuses, including an
oft bootlegged tape of Buddy Rich cussing out his band, and two extra
songs that didn't quite "fit" on the album. Priggen's put together yet
another fine volume of pop song that shouldn't fly below your personal
radar! [©2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com] Posted at Amazon.com and CD Baby.
New Haven Record Release At Cafe Nine
I'll be playing the New Haven (my hometown) version of my Record Release Party for "There's No Sound In Flutes" this Saturday August 26th (The NY one is on September 8 @ The Lakeside Lounge) at the very pleasant Cafe Nine.
My last gig there (just about a year ago) was one of my funnest in
years. I'm expecting some special musical guests and some faces I
haven't seen in about 25 years. Should be interesting. Hope to see you
there.
"There's No Sound In Flutes!" On Sale Now!
On
his third solo album There's No Sound In Flutes, New York-based
singer/songwriter/guitarist/blogger/pop-culture archivist Spike Priggen
delivers yet another winsome, bracing blast of punchy, sublimely catchy
guitar-driven pop-rock songcraft, filtered through the singular
sensibility of a much-traveled musical adventurer who's a born
romantic, a voracious pop-culture fiend and, above all, a lifelong
believer in rock 'n' roll's ability to transcend, transform and inspire.
From the jangly romanticism of "I Know Everything," to the scathing wit of "Everyone Loves Me But You," to the heart-on-sleeve sentiment of "Little Star," to the elegant, evocative twang of "The Only Girl (in the World)," the self-penned, self-produced There's No Sound In Flutes (on the artist's own Volare Label) maintains the same bountiful levels of craft, energy and heart that distinguished Priggen's prior solo releases, the all-original The Very Thing That You Treasure and the quirky covers collection Stars After Stars After Stars.
Priggen's new songs also feature distinctive arrangements that make use of all manner of exotic sounds and textures. "I liked the way all the orchestral stuff on Stars After Stars After Stars turned out," the artist explains. "So almost every song on this one has some kind of orchestral element, from simple chamberlain and mellotron parts to complex 18-piece arrangements. I've always loved that sound, and once I realized that we could do these amazing arrangements, I wanted to have that on every song. Once or twice I thought we might have gone overboard on some of the songs, but they all eventually won me over."
In addition to showcasing Priggen's performing and songwriting gifts, There's No Sound In Flutes also draws upon the talents of many of the stellar players with whom Priggen has crossed paths over the years. The album was engineered by longtime collaborator Adam Lasus, whose recent recording credits include work with the Rogers Sisters and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos, a longtime Priggen pal, is featured on two songs, while other tracks feature such stalwart New York players as guitarists Mark Spencer (Laura Cantrell/Jay Farrar) and Jon Graboff (Ryan Adams/Amy Rigby), bassists Danny Weinkauf (They Might Be Giants/Fountains of Wayne) and Scott Yoder (Kevin Salem/Amy Rigby), keyboardists Rob Arthur (Joan Osborne/Peter Frampton), drummer Brian Doherty (They Might Be Giants/XTC) and keyboardist/arranger CP Roth (Blessid Union of Souls/Ozzy Osbourne), who masterminded the album's inventive faux-orchestral arrangements.
Meanwhile, renowned underground
illustrator Peter Bagge provided the album's inspired cover art, which,
like the disc's title, is based on legendary big-band drummer Buddy
Rich's fabled tape-recorded rants.
Spike Priggen "Hideaway".mp3
SpikePriggen.com
Spike Priggen Myspace page
Spike Priggen @ Allmusic Guide
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Reviews Of "Stars After Stars After Stars"
"New York-based Spike Priggen of Liquor Giants, Pussywillows, and Dumptruck enthralled fans with his 2001 solo debut's synthesis of Big Star's chime, the dBs' quirkiness, and Dwight Twilley's pure pop power. This follow-up of lovingly selected covers (in the tradition of Bowie's Pin-Ups and the Band's Moondog Matinee) melds the hearts and minds of the originals with his overarching melancholy, mating a collector's ear for material with a producer's imagination for re-creation. Highlights include Priggen's versions of the Pontiac Brothers' yearning "Be Married Song" and the Zombies' delicate morning-after B-side "How We Were Before." The Ramones, Tracey Thorn, and Scritti Politti's songs all find a common wistfulness in Priggen's soul- and country-inflected arrangements. Closing the disc is a mesmerizing found-sound "J&H Productions" tape, in which a would-be Cincinnati concert promoter attempts to "get with" the "label industry." Whether the "label industry" "gets with" Spike Priggen, lovers of Lennon, Chilton, Stamey, and Sweet certainly should."Eli Messinger
East Bay Express
"Although it is a highly eclectic collection of mostly obscure songs by other artists, Priggen's second album, "Stars After Stars After Stars," underscores the considerable depths of his talent. Priggen makes each song his own, giving the album a remarkable coherent sound. Some of that is due to his song selection, songs which, except for a straightforward reading of Alice Cooper's "Eighteen," render themselves to his vaguely rootsy power pop interpretations. Priggen reclaims "Questioningly," the Ramones' well-written but improbable stab at country-rock and rescues from obscurity early British pop gems such as Tracy Thorn's "Plainsailing" and Scritti Politti's "A Slow Soul.""Mark Wilson
Evansville Courier & Press
"This second album finds Spike Priggen and a bunch of friends (Ivan Julian, Bun E Carlos, etc.) covering some great underknown songs by folks like the Pontiac Brothers, the Zombies, Nikki Sudden/Dave Kusworth the Jacobites, Tracy Thorn, the Ramones, etc. If Spike is doing all of the vocals as the press kit seems to indicate; he's the best singing vocal mimic I've ever heard. His Tracy Thorn, and Joey Ramone are uncanny."George Parsons
Dream Magazine #5
"Priggen is a frequent performer on the NYC scene and at various times has been a member of Dumptruck, Hello Strangers, Liquor Giants, Schramms, and Pussywillows. His 2001 debut revealed a tremendous talent for perfect pop songs often filtered through a country sound. Therefore, the first track on his new disc comes as quite a shock with its blast of synthesizer. Thereafter, he returns to his normal style, for which a useful comparison is Freedy Johnston, whom Priggen resembles in vocal timbre, melodically (especially), and to a lesser extent in overall style. It's a sound that doesn't work well unless lavished on high-quality songs, and Priggen supplies plenty."Steve
The Big Takeover
"Most of the album is a nostalgic look back at the artist's past, including the bands he's played in as well as those he's idolized, including the Hot Bodies, the Jacobites, and the Zombies. He works through these songs competently and respectfully, and in the end what he's created is a tribute to his own musical development. But in doing so he's also given us a window back into some forgotten moments in music from the 70's and 80's various indie, new-wave, and punk scenes."George Ford
Delusions Of Adequacy
"On Spike's new "Stars After Stars After Stars" he pulls off the neat trick of recording a classy set of covers (The Pontiac Bros. "Be Married Song"; Zombies, Jenifer Jackson, Sudden & Kusworth) with a star-studded cast (Bun E Carlos, Ivan Julian). He's kicked around in some bands that almost crossed over (Dumptruck, The Liquor Giants, The Caroline Know)--can he finally get a break?". -Josh Goldfein
The Village Voice
Music Links
- Anders Parker
- Big Lazy
- Cheap Trick
- Chris Harford
- ClePunk
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- Eyeless In Gaza
- Florence Dore
- Freedy Johnston
- Hub Moore
- Jenifer Jackson
- Jon Brion
- Jon Graboff
- Josef K
- Julian Cope
- Kirk Swan
- Mark Mulcahy
- Mark Spencer
- NRBQ!
- Norton Records
- Paul Haig
- Raymond Scott
- Roy Wood
- Steve Almaas
- Sundazed
- The Bus Stop Label
- The Dave Graney Show
- The La's
- The Raspberries
- Ween
- WeenRadio.Com
- Wormco
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