Spencer Krug has a problem. He's splitting his time between his main band Wolf Parade and the now fully realized Sunset Rubdown. His creative ventures seem unending, with every new undertaking more original than the last.
Which brings us to Random Spirit Lover's fatal flaw: Krug doesn't seem to know when to stop. Half-formed ideas are thrown together, losing their identity before they can take shape. On songs like "Stallion," arrangements take their sweet time developing, sometimes rambling on over six minutes before reaching inconclusive endings. Or, in the case of "Colt Stands Up, Grows Horns," compositions move from one theme to the next before anything can settle. Most songs read like stream-of-consciousness prose, and one thought brings with it five new paths for the band to explore.
Random Spirit Lover does have its shining spots, even when it's hard to digest them all at one time. Sunset Rubdown has orchestrated pop perfected, never allowing songs to become overwhelming. Tracks like the joyous "Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days" merge a percussive keyboard line with Krug's vocal theatrics. Pianos, xylophones and guitar strings tastefully burst through the underlying melodies, never pretentious and always welcomed. Everything comes together in blissful equilibrium, hopefully signaling a tighter sound to come.
