''Arches and Aisles'' is an

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

The Spinanes The Spinanes were an American indie rock band, primarily active during the 1990s. The band was founded by and consisted only of singer-songwriter/guitarist Rebecca Gates and drummer Scott Plouf. They released three albums on the Sub Pop label be ...

, released on September 23, 1998. The album features guest spots and co-production by John McEntire and vocals by

Sam Prekop Sam Prekop (born October 18, 1964) is an American musician in the band The Sea and Cake. He also has released five solo albums. Early life Prekop was born in London, but grew up in Chicago. He studied at the Kansas City Art Institute. Career ...

. This is the only Spinanes album to not feature founding member and drummer Scott Plouf, who left the duo in 1997 to join Built to Spill.

Composition

Musically, ''Arches'' is considered "richly textured" chamber-rock and

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

Critical reception and legacy

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

's Michael Gallucci dubbed ''Arches'' the group's "least confining, and most listenable" record, noting their "more melodic and lyrically enticing" direction. '' Spin'' applauded it, calling it "warm, thoughtful, and melodically gorgeous". Looking back at the Spinanes' discography, ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' singled it out as "a superlative album of quietly remarkable songs". They acknowledged singer Rebecca Gates' "surefooted songwriting and achingly intimate alto vocals". In 2008, near Sub Pop's 20th anniversary, ''Treble'' included it as one of the label's 20 essential releases. Staff writer Jeff Terich dubbed it "a bigger sounding, more sparkling affair" than its predecessors, as well as the Spinanes project's best work. In 2016, it placed #46 on ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

''s list of

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

's 50 best albums.

Track listing

# "Kid in Candy" – 4:33 # "Greetings from the Sugar Lick" – 4:18 # "72-74" – 3:06 # "Leisure Run" – 4:58 # "Love, the Lazee" – 4:27 # "Sucker's Trial" – 2:49 # "Slide Your Ass" – 1:50 # "Reach V. Speed" – 3:51 # "Den Trawler" – 4:05 # "Eleganza" – 4:15 # "Heisman Stance" – 4:19

Personnel

Credits adapted from ''Arches and Aisles'' liner notes.

* Rebecca Gates - vocals, guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, Mellotron, organ with: *

Joanna Bolme Joanna Bolme (born April 1, 1968) is a multi-instrumentalist (primarily bass guitar) and recording engineer who works with several indie rock bands and artists, mainly in the Pacific Northwest. She has been the bass guitarist for Stephen Malkmus ...

- bass, guitar, Moog synthesizer, organ *

Jerry Busher Jerry Busher is an American drummer and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his work with Fidelity Jones and Fugazi. Career Jerry Busher is a musician, audio engineer and artist from the Washington DC area. He played drums in Fidelity Jones f ...

- drums, percussion

References

1998 albums The Spinanes albums Sub Pop albums

External links

* {{Discogs release, type=album, 1618410