Love Spit Love
Love Spit Love (Imago) (STAR)(STAR) 1/2
Love Spit Love, the new band and eponymous album from Richard Butler’s new quartet, essentially reinvents the wheel. He offers a pared-down version of the defunct Psychedelic Furs, which had a strong run in the ’80s as one of the fresher-if at times showmanly dour-punk acts on the scene. Butler’s about-face favors the spartan rather than the fuller sound of the Furs (which, from the latter band’s “Forever Now” record on, usually incorporated strings and brass, a sound that put it on the charts and brought a movie titled after one tune, “Pretty in Pink”). Unfortunately, Love Spit Love places Butler’s distinctive voice amid Richard Fortus’ acoustic guitars and not much else (note the heavy strumming on the R.E.M.-like “Green” and “Half a Life”). His voice always has been one of the major appeals of the Furs-so scratchy it almost hits more than one note-and it comes through here on tracks such as “Am I Wrong.” The frenetic Eastern European syncopation of “Jigsaw,” tautly accomplished by drummer Frank Ferrer, lends a fresh, if looney, touch. Of course, if Butler were truly interested in eschewing his Furs background, he wouldn’t have recruited brother Tim (also of the Furs) to play bass here. One song has Richard screeching “I don’t want your talk, talk, talk,” which might allude to a 1981 Furs album. Then again, it might not.
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