Album Review: Spiderbait - Spiderbait

Australian alt-rockers Spiderbait haven't released a studio album in nine years. That's nine years that drummer Mark Maher, aka Kram, bassist Janet English and guitarist Damian Whitty have had to really perfect their art. They've returned with their seventh album, a self-titled hark back to their Tonight Alright days that fails to really pull together the best parts of the rock band that was, and instead seems a bit jumbled, without the manic energy or catchy pop choruses of their back catalogue. 

Opener Straight Through The Sun proves that Kram's gritty vocal register is back in full force. In It's Beautiful they're already back to combining rock chords with electro pop keys and Janet English's high-pitched voice. Miss The Boat is an obvious highlight, with a wailing guitar solo and a classic rock tinge, but Supersonic falls flat, with a pervading electro pop bend that wastes all the energy amassed. The album pulsates, from fast to slow, between early '90s and early '00s-style Spiderbait, with a sexy bassline (care of I'm Not Your Slave) and a Lou Reed-esque drawl on Get Bent thrown in for good measure. Crazy Pants (Rockstar For A Night) brings back a certain bass-driven swagger, but softer tunes at the latter half of the album, and a lack of killer hooks, keeps this album from really impressing (although The Sun Will Come Shining is a sweet pop song).

In the end it all feels like it's been done by the band before, and that they could've pushed some sonic boundaries or just crafted another truly great rock or pop tune.