The Deal: Local living legends The Spongetones release 11th album, Too Clever By Half.
The Good: If you’ve been longing for a new Spongetones album, you have to be happy with the result – an 18-track CD that clocks in at an hour. The band’s sound, capturing the energy and style of The Beatles in its own way, hasn’t changed. They’ve continued to write good pop/rock music that continues in the same vein as The Beatles, but has its own identity. Solid songwriting, good harmonies, straightforward music – it’s hard to find fault in it.
The Bad: There are two sides to every coin. The band walks a fine line between striking a nostalgia chord loudly to continue a legacy and sounding dated.
The Verdict: The band remains a consistent Queen City musical institution, and the new album fits into the catalog nicely.
This article appears in May 14-20, 2008.
