Labeling Sunset Rubdown a side project has always felt a little too presumptuous. Even after Wolf Parade co-frontman Spencer Krug upgraded his bedroom solo moniker into a full-fledged band for 2006’s Shut Up I Am Dreaming, the songs still sounded like rambling WP demos. For better or worse, those lo-fi/stripped-down days are finally gone. Sunset Rubdown’s latest album is so bloated with ’70s prog-rock synthesizers and children’s fantasy novel-esque lyrics (“But the sister speaks of trickery!”), it sounds like Emerson, Lake & Palmer stumbled through a wardrobe into a mystical land filled with mythical creatures and leopard-riding virgins. While too much of Random Spirit Lover gets buried in self-indulgence, the album does have its moments. Opener “Mending Of The Gown” is a memorable mix of choppy piano chords and Television-style guitar melodies, and the apocalyptic marching-band feel of “Trumpet, Trumpet, Toot, Toot” is spine-chilling. But Krug’s non-stop croaking yelp gets old quickly, and the few highlights are hardly worth sitting through an hour of Renaissance Faire-y meandering. But if nothing else, Lover will fit right in at your next Dungeons & Dragons party. [www.jagjaguwar.com]
—Miles Britton
