Divine Fits is Britt Daniel (Spoon), Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade) and Sam Brown (New Bomb Turks), yet the band is only casually calling itself a supergroup. Smart move. Supergroups have a knack of disappointing with songs that are overcooked and oversold. Divine Fits avoids these pitfalls. By contrast, this record of infectious pop-rock is brisk and energetic, with vocals split between Daniel and Boeckner.
The electro-rock of ‘My Love is Real’ kicks things off – a seeming parody of the fickle hype cycle of “it” bands with Boeckner crooning “My love is real/Until it stops. That opener is outshone immediately by ‘Flaggin’ a Ride’, sung by Daniel, a pattern that continues with Spoon’s frontman carrying the best tracks – no doubt by virtue of his raggedly soulful voice. Daniel’s triumphs here include a cover of the Boys Next Door classic, ‘Shivers’, that eschews Nick Cave’s gloomy approach in favour of the tongue-in-cheek intentions of the song’s author and Cave’s bandmate, Rowland S Howard.
[rating: 3]
