Spitalfield

Spitalfield: Stop Doing Bad ThingsStop Doing Bad Things (2005)
Victory Records

Reviewer Rating: 3.5

User Rating:

Contributed by: InaGreendaseBrian
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on March 22nd 2005Spitalfield has gone through a rather jumpy approach to emotional punk-pop / rock in their short though varied discography. In comparison to future material, their debut full-length, Faster Crashes Harder, was slightly sped-up, somewhat raw, and marginally bratty. The followup EP, The Cloak & Dagger.

Spitalfield has gone through a rather jumpy approach to emotional punk-pop / rock in their short though varied discography. In comparison to future material, their debut full-length, Faster Crashes Harder, was slightly sped-up, somewhat raw, and marginally bratty. The followup EP, The Cloak & Dagger Club, suddenly found the band playing a severely matured, heavily Texas Is The Reason-influenced sound. Cut to their Victory debut, 2003's Remember Right Now, and we hear a band taking sort of a step back, influentially-speaking, basking in the more novelty-based, sunny pop that fit well with their more mainstream-oriented peers. So now, with Stop Doing Bad Things, it makes sense for their bi-polar attitudes to again nod towards more original purveyors of their genre, both past and present.

The press release for the record involves the band discussing how "this record is heavily influenced by some of the bands that we've toured with in the past couple years," and their tongues seem pretty hairless about the claim. "Texas Bum Blues," the black sheep of the record in a really good way, has the band using a wavering, Max Bemis/Travis Shettel singing style that makes for a good, quirky rock song á la Piebald, especially with its layered, pseudo-gang shout of the chorus line "if you've got somethin' to say, just say it...!" "Building A Better City By Design" has a sound texture and general feel about it similar to that of Hey Mercedes's Loses Control. Outside of past tour mates, other tracks like "Gold Dust Vs. State Of Illinois" are fiercely reminsicent of the more rock-oriented moments of Jimmy Eat World.

The band's songwriting abilities haven't drastically improved, but they're seemingly just as personable, notably in a song such as "From The Desk Of B. Larsen" with the line "and we're getting good - at passing out in motion (or on strangers' floors)." Not that the band's past lyrical skills were that of unemotional vegetables, but singing along to choruses seems slightly less mindless this time around.

Victory haphazardly slapped the band with the post-hardcore tag with their last effort, and though it still doesn't seem to rightly fit, the band has seemed to inch towards that style a little, though it seems naturally in step with their maturation. In effect, Stop Doing Bad Things acts as a good mix of Spitalfield's more critically-respected peers, and it's spread out amongst a rather consistent set of tunes.

MP3s
So I Heard You Joined A Convent [clip]
Gold Dust Vs. State Of Illinois [clip]
What Were You Thinking? [clip]
STREAM
Building A Better City By Design
Simple Minds, Simple Lives

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

VStoriesFallen (April 20, 2006)

I'm pretty sure that if Texas Is The Reason had stayed together, they would have recorded an album similar to this. I love it.

Anonymous (October 6, 2005)

Yea, I can't play this CD on my computer... What up with that?

Anonymous (June 21, 2005)

my cd is messed up too. i wonder if victory will replace those ones that are messed up with regular copies? either way, the CD is still good.

crazytoledo (June 14, 2005)

On a side note, on my computer and xbox it plays the 3rd track as the 3rd and 4th track which is a funny disc error...

crazytoledo (May 19, 2005)

I really like their poppy sound better than this serious release but who knows, maybe it'll grow on me.

But with Bayside and some metal music to listen to, I doubt it...

fritobandito (April 10, 2005)

I'm a huge fan of Sonic games, especially that one with Knuckles. that was one of the best things ever on Sega.

Earthworm Jim 2 was amazing as well.

Anonymous (April 5, 2005)

I haven't heard the whole album yet...But so far I think it's great. I love the lead singers voice!

Anonymous (March 30, 2005)

I think a lot of people who have commented on this haven't actually listened to it.

this release is far anda bove anything they've done before... and anything Victory has done lately, for that matter.

I like it.

Anonymous (March 27, 2005)

I didn't see anyone mention Gunstar Heroes. Any real gamers here?? HAHA!!

FortyMinutesWest (March 27, 2005)

NHL 95 > Everything else

Anonymous (March 26, 2005)

Yes, Boogerman was the shit!

Anonymous (March 26, 2005)

what a horrible shitty album title, almost as bad as "what to do when you are dead"

maverick (March 24, 2005)

To throw my hat into the "Best Genesis game" ring:

Boogerman.

I also wholeheartedly endorse Streets Of Rage 2, Toe Jam And Earl and Earthworm Jim (and EJ2).

-Scott

Anonymous (March 24, 2005)

This cd is terrible. I got ropa-doped into buying it and I couldn't even finish it, it is Ssooooooo bad.

Anonymous (March 24, 2005)

Best Genesis game ever? Herzog Zwei. If you played it, you know why.

swingline (March 24, 2005)

i wish i had zbots. they were so awesome. i use to be poor and my parents would never buy me toys. i had to hustle just to get pogs.

corpseofmymotivation (March 24, 2005)

Did anybody here play with Z-Bots?

greenparticle (March 24, 2005)

pretty much every single NHL game made for any system between 92 and 98 is fucking awesome.

Anonymous (March 24, 2005)

Every night last winter my rmates and I played NHL 93, 95 on Genesis we mixed it up

Barkley

Anonymous (March 24, 2005)

hilarious thread in here pogs? genesis?

i really hope spitalfield visit this page..

'so do they like the album?'
' not sure....its all pogs and genesis, see for yoruself'

ps. nhl 93-96 were amazing. GO PENS . toe jam and earl on weed is a whole new experience from when we were kids

paul (from pittsburgh)

oh yea, thsi cd is solid. not great, not bad. some pretty impressive musicianship, but still lacks the punch and catcyness a band like this should have. definately an improvement over the debut though, lyrically, vocally, musically.

Anonymous (March 24, 2005)

Oh and I totally forgot NHL 92

Anonymous (March 24, 2005)

Shining Force 1 was far better than Shining Force 2. Maybe there was 32 characters but they were horrible: the useless turtle, the rat, the phoenix who looked like a hen (until lvl20) and I'm not even talking about the design of the last boss...

In Shining Force 1 the werewolf was not a poseur!

My list:

Shining Force 1
Landstalker
Sonic 2
Toe Jam and Earl
Thunder Force 4

Anonymous (March 24, 2005)

Just listened to the clips. I'd rather listen to some old Sensefield records.

Anonymous (March 24, 2005)

Spitalfied "Stop Doing Bad Records"

hahahahahahahahahhaahahaha

Barkley

One of the guys from this band was wearing a Cave In Zip Up in their Ap full pager. Where is the influence of good music like that in this music? Piebald is good, but c'mon guys this shit sucks!

sickboi (March 24, 2005)

The X Men game was amazing, but I think the game that I was hooked on was Montana Sports Talk Football II.

corpseofmymotivation (March 24, 2005)

Here's my list:

1. A tie with every Sonic ever made except for 3D Blast (including spinoffs like Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine and Sonic Spinball)
2. Double Dragon/Battle Toads
3. Street Fighter 2 (any version)
4. Comix Zone
5. Streets of Rage 2
6. Revenge of Shinobi
7. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
8. NBA Jam
9. B.O.B.
10. Golden Axe

Anonymous (March 24, 2005)

Earthworm Jim. Period.

InaGreendase (March 24, 2005)

Damn, I totally dropped the ball on Toejam & Earl.
And as for Rage 3, it's up there, but the 2nd one had a generally better flow.

Anonymous (March 24, 2005)

oh man i am missing out here... i was always more of a nintendo man myself... score is for "duck hunt" on the nes.

Anonymous (March 24, 2005)

Ah, Brian, what about Streets of Rage 3? You could play the boxing kangaroo!

-BSD

swingline (March 23, 2005)

best game on genesis was toejam and earl. original sonic comes in close 2nd.

InaGreendase (March 23, 2005)

Best Genesis game was Street Fighter 2, followed by Streets Of Rage 2, NHL 97, NHL 92, and the Sonic & Knuckles-enhanced version of Sonic 3. Case closed.

greenparticle (March 23, 2005)

I remember the first time I played Sonic on Genesis after playing NES for so long. It was absolutely mind blowing.

There are many better games out there, but that first Sonic experience holds a place in my heart.

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

What the hell? I thought this was about Pogs?

Okay, new topic: What's the best game ever released on Sega Genesis?

My pick's Shining Force II. That's a great fucking RPG. You get to control as many as 32 characters.

-Chinatown

fritobandito (March 23, 2005)

It's hard for me to put into words exactly how much I despise this band.

But I do, trust me.

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

"Dude....Dude.....Dude!!! Victory records fucking defines mall punk. NFG are a band that mall punks rage against to boost their "cred"."

I was not calling NFG mall punk. And you are just showing how close minded you are by saying all bands on a label are a type. That is why I hate the people who come to this site. Elitist fucks who classify music before actually listening to it.

opivykid (March 23, 2005)

"This album was made for real music fans and not for the masses."

No, this band is a joke and a half. My ass "this band isn't for the masses", its generic bullshit that I'm amazed people actually like. Fuck this band.

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

Victory's stickers are always good for a chuckle and I think they've hit a new low with Spitalfield. Haven't heard the album yet, so no score.

OC

maverick (March 23, 2005)

Interpunk said this about the double dose of "Gold Dust Vs. The State Of Illinois":

"The song "Gold Dust Vs. The State Of Illinois" is on the CD twice. Every copy of the CD is like this. It was part of the bands online prank/contest."

I guess this was the 13th bad thing?

-Scott

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

I'd be mad as hell at the dublication plant for doing that if i was in spitalfield.

Yeah. It's a catchy song, but not cool at all. Fucks with the album flow BIG TIME.

-Stewart Dowouis

jaxkid1 (March 23, 2005)

Ouch, cover art.
I think it's a great album, though.

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

"I just bought this and love it.

Question:

Why is Gold Dust vs. State Of Illinois on this disc twice in a row?! It's track 3 and 4. Is my copy just a fuck up, or were all of them printed with this error?"

I actually just found out that in fact this is an error on all the 1st pressings of the CD. I'd be mad as hell at the dublication plant for doing that if i was in spitalfield.

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

"This isnt mall punk. This isnt NFG. This is 100x better and will get little to no airplay. If they do get any type of exposure it will be just because they already made the song I love the way she said LA. This album was made for real music fans and not for the masses."

Dude....Dude.....Dude!!! Victory records fucking defines mall punk. NFG are a band that mall punks rage against to boost their "cred".

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

Good review, by the way.

-Stewart Dowouis

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

I just bought this and love it.

Question:

Why is Gold Dust vs. State Of Illinois on this disc twice in a row?! It's track 3 and 4. Is my copy just a fuck up, or were all of them printed with this error?

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

One time I was playing a game of Pogs with a guy, using only those expensive metal kinis (they once sold for 6-7$ a pop). I flipped the whole 6-kini stack and made him cry.

-Chinatown

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

I used to play. I'd carry two cylinder plastic cases attached to my sides on a belt filled with pogs. At least a foot long each case.

Kenjamin (March 23, 2005)

did people actually play pogs or just collect them?

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

I remember at a comic convention, the guy who was the inspiration behind Spawn's human identity was dressed up in a Spawn costume, walking around with a trashbag of Image pogs and I got at least 30 or 40 from him, as well as a picture with the real Spawn.

-BSD

sickboi (March 23, 2005)

More like "Stop Making Bad Music"

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

i remember back in the day i used to stick blu-tack on the bottom of my shoes then walk past people playing pogs... i reckon i got probably 100 this way, although i very rarely actually played pogs, i was above that, people would come to me with requests for pogs and then i would get a cut of the profit. good times.

let the pog talk continue!

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

they should change the site to

www.lawrencearmsnonemoreblackd4ihatebandsthathaveabigfollowing. org

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

Oh man, The Lawrence Arms are so awesome.

Pogs are awesome too.

-Chinatown

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

Did anyone get that Contest thing right? www.victoryrecords.com/13baddays i cant find what the last bad thing!??

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

listening to it right now actually and i'm liking it.

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

This isnt mall punk. This isnt NFG. This is 100x better and will get little to no airplay. If they do get any type of exposure it will be just because they already made the song I love the way she said LA. This album was made for real music fans and not for the masses.

bemused (March 22, 2005)

What do you mean?????

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

This album is another great effort from Spitalfield. It's poppy and catchy, which means that a lot of people are going to put it down (without listening).

Still a great listen, and Scott is right. Just thought I'd get a comment in before someone starts raving about REM and The Lawrence Arms.

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

I don't think I've hyped up this record at all.

With that being said, this is a very, very, very good record. It takes a good dozen or so listens before the nuances really sink in, but once they do? Wow.

-Scott

you must love sucking Mark's dick you fucking goon.

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

Same crap as the old album essentially.

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

this record is sweet. well done.

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

doublej didn't do this artwork... it says some guy named paul?

Anchors (March 22, 2005)

I once saw Brasky scissor kick Angela Landsbury.

To Bill Brasky!

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

i thought 'remember right now' was very trite and pussywhipped despite the fact that these guys knwo their instruments well. i'll give them that...and i think thye have potential. i might check this out. 'remember right now' had its moments, but overall it just seemed like a giant wuss fest, like jimmy eat world if they were 18 and wrote retarded lyrics and sang even gayer.

scores for wyzo's argument w/ me in the andrew wk 'i get wet' review

paul

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

But this CD is fucking amazing...

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

Yeah dude, Double J either needs to get fired or Victory needs to stop signing 28 bands a month because his creativity is on a huge downspiral and I think the poor kid is over worked.

This cover art is the worst shit I've EVER seen.

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

that font is atrocious on their name.

too edgar allen poe.

wyzo

CellarDoor (March 22, 2005)

Surprisingly, I was hoping for something a little bit more catchy/poppy. Listening to this record actually reminded me that Spitalfield's strength still lies in their vocals.

I'd take Brandston's Send Us A Signal over this any day though.

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

Ed Rose has the Midas Touch. No wonder that guy is booked till eternity

TheMarc (March 22, 2005)

This isn't bad, but still kind of a letdown.

maverick (March 22, 2005)

swingline (March 22, 2005)

where is the diana gone wrong review?

swingline (March 22, 2005)

this is shit

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

dont believe the hype from that people like scott, this sucks balls, mall punk......

greenparticle (March 22, 2005)

score's for the cover art. yikes.

Anonymous (March 22, 2005)

I don't see why people separate these guys from big acts like New Found Glory... It's essentially bland, weak, boring pop rock played for the MTV types.

-BSD

ubershep (March 22, 2005)

-shudder-