A Thing Called Divine Fits

Divine Fits | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 28, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B008EL1WPY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,795 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

"Aside from a teaser single, A Thing Called Divine Fits is the first most will have heard of their work together, and if they took a while to hone their collective sound, it doesn't show here. This is the work of guys who know exactly what they want from their music the synth hook in "My Love Is Real" could have propelled an alternate-universe hit for The Human League, but a spikier, guitar-driven side still wins the day in "Flaggin a Ride, " while "Baby Get Worse" splits the difference with winning results. Divvying their vocal duties roughly 50/50, Daniel and Boeckner keep A Thing Called Divine Fits sounding crisp and quotable, as in "My Love Is Real" ("My love is real / until it stops") and "Shivers" ("I've been contemplating suicide / but it really doesn't suit my style"), among others. The album deserves that highest of compliments: For all its familiar components, it sounds like Divine Fits. " -- NPR

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sum of Its Parts August 28, 2012

By T. A. Daniel TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

"Supergroups" rarely live up to their pedigree; it's almost assumed that when members from other bands come together, the sum will always be less than the parts. Velvet Revolver (Guns N Roses + Stone Temple Pilots), Audioslave (Soundgarden + Rage Against the Machine), "Van Hagar" (Van Halen + Sammy Sagar), etc... But every now and then, a collaboration will come up that's just as good as the work that the other band members have created: Broken Social Scene, Crosby Stills & Nash, and Cream.

The word "supergroup" has been thrown around a lot in regards to Divine Fits line up: Brit Daniel on guitar/vocals (Spoon), Dan Boeckner guitar/vocals (Wolf Parade), Sam Brown on drums/percussion (New Bomb Turks), and Alex Fischel on keyboards/synthesizers. To be sure, Divine Fits have the pedigree to be a good band, and luckily, easily they are able to meet their reputation and expectations. With Boeckner and Daniel sharing vocal duties pretty evenly, the band's music sounds like a collaboration of sensibilities rather than a competition (like the Raconteurs would sometimes sound). The band's debut album, A THING CALLED DIVINE FITS is 11 tracks, 42+ minutes of fantastic indie-rock.

While there are surely elements of each band present in Divine Fits' debut, the band creates its own sounds with its own sensibilities thanks to the dripping synthesizers of Fischel. The album introduces itself as a more electronic version of anything the band's members have done: "My Love is Real" uses electric bass and synthesizers to give it an 80's new-wave vibe. A THING CALLED DIVINE FITS isn't done there though -- the next track, "Flaggin A Ride" is a stomping, grooving rocker that relies on bare-bones instrumentation. True to form, some of the Brit Daniel-led tracks are minimal in design, only relying on drums, bass, and sparse guitar. Fans of Spoon who were let down by the recent TRANSFERENCE ought find this as a welcome return. One of the album highlights, "Would That Not Be Nice," sounds like a GaGaGaGaGa-era Spoon. The groovy "Baby Get Worse" finds Boeckner on singing duty with a track that would feel at home in a Wolf Parade album.

The rest of the songs here though, sound like an amalgamation of these bands. "The Salton Sea," is laden with synthesizers -- it's experimentation trapped in a pop song's shell. "Shivers" finds Daniel at his most sincere, and the downtempo rock song serves as one of the album's best -- the band knocks this Boys Next Door cover out of the park. "Neopolitans" leaves listeners guessing as it moves beyond form or convention. The final track, "Like Ice Cream," is a bouncing, shaking song that ends the album with a salute to summer. It's a great ending: concise, sharp, and pulsing.

Fans of Spoon, Wolf Parade, or the New Bomb Turks will likely find material here to love. Spoon fans put off by the band's recent TRANSFERENCE will be pleased with Brit Daniel's contributions here. Essential tracks to sample/download: "My Love Is Real," "For Your Heart," "Would That Not Be Nice" and "Shivers." It's not always an immediate or accessible album, but it's one that pays off in big ways.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars addictive September 25, 2012

By Anaximander

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you are considering buying this album, you most likely are either a Dan Boeckner fan or a Spoon fan, or both. I am a longtime Spoon fan but after listening to the Divine Fits, I will have to learn more about Boeckner's other projects. A Thing Called the Divine Fits is fun indie/alternative pop album, filled with great melodies, 80s electronics, minimalist guitar and great vocals from both frontmen. From the perspective of a Spoon listener, it sounds like an off-the-cuff spoon album put through a strange 80's production filter. I am surprised to find the Divine Fits to be more fun than the last Spoon album, Transference, which had many good moments but could be a bit self-serious and tedious. Boeckner and Daniels seem to be enjoying themselves, and that feeling is infectious. Here's to hoping for another Divine Fits album and another Spoon album.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Divided Album October 1, 2012

By Eddie G

Format:Vinyl|Amazon Verified Purchase

Divine Fits are a band I had on my radar since I learned two of my favorite bands were getting together (Wolf Parade & Spoon). This whole album stinks of both bands attempting to merge, however I think each song tends to cater to each of it's frontman talents.

I call it divided because the album takes a break at "Salton Sea" however that's my opinion. Every song in that album is amazing. This album is a poppy Wolf Parade/Spoon love child