Every once in awhile your urge to see a particular band is so strong that you make a quasi-reckless trek to see them at a show where you have no idea who anyone else is on the program. That's what happened to me Sunday. When I heard Baltimore duo Lands & Peoples would be returning to Brooklyn for a one-off show it was less about who was playing with them and more about guaranteeing that I would be there front-row and center. That's how I was introduced to Brooklyn quartet Spanish Prisoners. I had heard them pretty much in name only from a variety of bloggers from Listen Before You Buy to I Guess I'm Floating so I already knew to expect something worthwhile.
What really won me over more than anything was the group's live energy - Spanish Prisoners are a band that you can tell enjoy themselves when they're performing. Which doesn't necessarily come out in most live bands who get onstage, do their set, and leave. But as I watched keyboardist Amberly Hungerford rock out dancing while she played along, it was pretty clear I would love this band long after the end of their set. The group also has a singing drummer which I am always on board with. And yet while it was their live show that endeared them to me, their music is nothing to balk it. Spanish Prisoners specialize in a sort of fully flushed out sound that a orchestral pop junkie like myself highly appreciates - although instead of a majestic string section or blaring brass, Spanish Prisoners fill their space with plenty of harmonies (four-part sometimes which is mighty impressive) and by giving each member something to do. Their full sound also jams pretty hard with some funky rhythms and such in tracks like "Cadillac From Yesterday" and "Downtown Chicagoland".
Get a taste of Spanish Prisoners with their debut album Gold Fools on Bandcamp and Spotify.
Also, here's my favorite track by them "Know No Violence" which has light touches of Le Loup's Family:
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