Delta Spirit: Ignorance Is Bliss

Ode to Sunshine
Delta Spirit
(Rounder)

This week I’ve had the rare pleasure of discovering a new band: Delta Spirit. I didn’t discover the band in the sense of introducing it to the rest of the world. For all I know, I’m the last one to arrive at the party. Whatever the case, the group is new to me. In a scenario that occurs far too infrequently, I hadn’t previously read about Delta Spirit in a magazine or on a Web site, listened to the band on MySpace or a CD submitted for review, or had it recommended to me by one of my many music friends. I walked into Borders and saw a poster for the band’s new release, “Ode to Sunshine,” became intrigued by a description of the music (something about classic-era Rolling Stones, as I recall) and decided to buy the disc.

Since this discovery was made on Monday, I still had to wait a day. But I got to the store promptly on Tuesday. I’ve been enjoying “Ode to Sunshine” ever since.

I’ve learned a little more about the band in the past 48 hours. Two of Delta Spirit’s members were formerly part of the San Diego-based emo band Noise Ratchet. They’ve definitely ditched the guyliner and gone in a more roots-based direction. While poking around on the Web, I’ve read comparisons to several other bands. Aside from the Stones, I’ve seen Delta Spirit compared to The Beatles, the Violent Femmes, Spoon and The Waterboys. Whether or not I’ve been influenced by what I read since buying the disc, I hear traces of those bands in Delta Spirit’s music. Hell, there’s even a wee hint of U2 in parts of “Children.” But overall, they don’t sound like one of those notable bands any more than the others.

Playing “spot the influences” has not been the enjoyable part of the disc. The most appealing aspect of “Ode to Sunshine” has been the album’s overall feel. It sounds like it was recorded by a real, live band, playing just for the sake of rocking out. While they were at it, they decided to roll tape (or some other medium).

I’m still absorbing the album, but there are at least four standout tracks on “Ode to Sunshine”: “Trashcan,” “People C’mon,” “Streetwalker” and “People, Turn Around.”

This informal review might be redundant for those of you who spend a lot of time reading Pitchfork or trolling the blogosphere. Delta Spirit is new to me, though, and I’m glad I’ve been able to enjoy it without having to compare it to any advance hype.

Assuming “Ode to Sunshine” has already generated more buzz than I’m aware of, I’ll have to work much harder to tune out the hipsters’ inevitable backlash.