When Jon Spencer released his first proper solo album in 2018, Spencer Sings the Hits, it seemed like a detour, a fun but time-biding side project while his higher-profile endeavors, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Boss Hog, came back around. Since then, Boss Hog has remained silent and Spencer has made it public knowledge that the Blues Explosion have split up for good; it turns out Spencer Sings the Hits was a dry run for his next project. 2022's Spencer Gets It Lit introduces his new band, Jon Spencer & the HITmakers, which includes Sam Coomes of Quasi on keyboards and M. Sord of Boss Hog on drums, both of whom played on Spencer Sings the Hits, with the addition of Bob Bert, Spencer's former Pussy Galore bandmate, who is credited with playing "trash," which in this case means junk he beats about in a percussive manner. Spencer Gets It Lit ultimately sounds like Spencer Sings the Hits, only more so; the commitment to greasy grooves is still there, and Spencer's histrionic vocal style sounds as manic as ever. However, this music owes more to garage punk and scuzzy noise rock than the fractured blues and R&B that was the Blues Explosion's stock in trade. Spencer's buzzy, minimal guitar figures here face off against Coomes' lo-fi keyboard lines and synth squiggles and Sord's no-frills backbeat, and the core trio locks in better here than they did the first time around, sounding a bit more like a band than some guys Spencer rounded up to back him in the studio. The problem with Spencer Gets It Lit is that there are just enough similarities between the HITmakers and the Blues Explosion that it's hard not to play "Battle of the Bands" in your head, and in this comparison, the HITmakers are found wanting. This music lacks the punch and the sweaty joy of Blues Explosion at their peak, and while the earlier band's second proper album was 1993's outstanding Extra Width, what is essentially the second go-round for the HITmakers is considerably shorter on fire and personality. All that said, Spencer Gets It Lit is a more satisfying LP than Spencer Sings the Hits, the band's playful embrace of their noisy side suggests what Pussy Galore could have been like if they'd ever developed a pop sensibility, and Spencer remains a great frontman and a font of mixed and matched pop culture wisdom. Keep your expectations properly adjusted and Spencer Gets It Lit will be an effective soundtrack to all manner of wild good times.
© Mark Deming /TiVo