The departure of
Phil Solem left
Danny Wilde in sole control of
the Rembrandts, which meant that he had the burden of crafting the follow-up to the group's fluke hit, "I'll Be There for You." Truth be told, writing a number one hit wasn't Wilde's primary concern -- especially since he didn't write the hit -- and he set out to make another collection of finely crafted pop songs, which is what he's been doing since
Great Buildings. To ease the pressure somewhat, he collaborated with former Gin Blossom Jesse Venezuela on "Long Way Back," a jangly treasure that's the record's first single. He also hired
Van Dyke Parks to arrange a pair of songs ("Shakespeare's Tragedy," "Summertime"), which are lovely, lilting orchestral pop. The Venezuela and Parks numbers are the centerpieces for
Spin This! -- the remainder of the album should be familiar to any
Wilde fan, since it is his trademark pop-rock. However, song for song, the album may be the best
Rembrandts album since the first, even if it doesn't have the same beguiling charm. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine