Spitalfield

It would have been very, very easy for Chicago’s Spitalfield to fall prey to the machine and become another Thursday/the Used/Taking Back Sunday radio-friendly emo-ish rock band. Their last record was fresh sounding enough that it never strayed into super glossy mainstream rock world. And despite its glaring Jimmy Eat World-isms and singer Mike Rose’s too-familiar hiccup-y vocal style, it never crossed over from inspired by to ripping off that band. But with their third album, they’ve assembled a batch of songs that sound less inspired by anyone else and more like their own creations. It probably helps tremendously that they tapped the studio skills of Ed Rose (JEW, Motion City Soundtrack, Casket Lottery, Get Up Kids to name a few) to give the songs the sonic wallop necessary to drive them home. Between the band getting comfortable with their own style and Rose’s production, Spitalfield are definitely doing good things.