Spiderbait

Spiderbait’s first album in nearly a decade is close to a perfect pop record. Like AC/DC or the Ramones, they occupy a self-contained universe where the formula is always the same, writes DAVID NICHOLS.

[Historical image is withheld pending rights review.] I am reminded of a story Dave Graney once told of a young-old rocker espying the Ramones’ leather jackets in a row in their dressing room at a Big Day Out and tearing up. That was because the Ramones were, in their way, perfect (even if they hated each other).

I would posit Spiderbait are in the same ballpark for Australia (and the world, if it ever listened): a group once heard, immediately recognisable; songs as great as great disco, a self-contained universe where the formula is always the same, like Status Quo, the Ramones, AC/DC, ABBA or Stock/Aitken/Waterman, all of which seem to have had a mysterious involvement by osmosis here. But also the absolute quintessential band of their (our) era, with music that sounds like it’s been dreamt straight into the stereo. Which is to say, Spiderbait make it look artless, like they’re just joking with their often dumbarse and insular (or at very least throwaway) lyrics, their book of tricks, their easily recognisable musical references to glam, The Beatles, psychedelia, pomp rock, satanic metal, George-Angus-Malcolm riff lifts and so on.

“This is the greatest piece of glam-rock stomp yet created in 21st century music.”

Now AC/DC, for instance, have made a point of honour that they never fucked with their fucking simple formula. Spiderbait made one glorious, superb mistake: 2000’s The Flight of Wally Funk, a personal favourite of mine, which recast everything at another level, but one which presumably threatened their commercial viability substantially. They saved the picnic with 2004’s Tonight Alright – their finest pop/rock record – and then went into abeyance for a decade. Now, in what might well be their last album (it just feels that way), they’ve made something close to a perfect pop album.

Best track is three-quarters of the way through (or halfway through side two): ‘Crazy Pants’. Yep, a song about pants and dancing; someone please compile a table of Spiderbait songs/lyrics with similar allusions. Yet this is the greatest piece of glam-rock stomp yet created in 21st century music.

The other best track is the single ‘It’s Beautiful’, an upbeat artisan piece. If you’ve been watching retro Rage this (or any) summer – particularly the Countdown eps – this song seems to explain entirely Spiderbait’s formative cheesy pop influences.

Slightly-less-than-perfect tracks might be ‘Where’s the Baseline’ (I mean, ‘Let There Be Rock’ or what?) or possibly ‘Miss the Boat’. Or that might just be how it feels today; both seem a little rote, though the latter is pretty much saved by a kind of guitar solo towards the end anyway. Or perhaps I’m down on this song because this is where the listening site, which Universal linked me to so I could hear the record online, broke. So I had to go out and buy the LP – and when I say ‘had to’, I mean that’s what I always intended to do in the first place.

Ultimately, in all conscience I can only recommend that you, if you are any kind of a lover of popular music, do exactly the same thing. National treasure.

+

‘Spiderbait’ is out now through Universal Music Australia.