‘In My Head’ is the debut album from Sweden’s blues rock outfit THE SPOKES. The band was formed in Ljusdal, in Gavlebord County in 2000. The area apparently has a population of only 6,200, and the band originally came together to play cover versions of their favourite blues rock artists, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Black Crowes.
The Spokes' current line up consists of: - Jens Schulstad on vocals and guitar, Anders Toresson on guitar and backing vocals, Henrik Hank Engblom on harmonica, vocals and guitar, Jonas Odis Nordström on bass, and Jimmy Håkansson on drums.
The band’s influences within the rock, and blues rock genre are evident throughout the album, but it still manages to sound fresh. There are twelve tracks on the album, four of which were released back in 2012 on an CD single entitled ‘E.P.’ The lyrics on the album tend to follow most of the 1970s male rock themes, for example on ‘Centrefold Girl’: - “Hot lead, in my pocket, give me your hand and grab on to my rocket/ You got flash honey, you got style, Little Red Ridin’ Hood you’re drivin’ me wild.”
This did raise a smile at the blatant machismo; however the track is more than saved by a guitar solo that could have come from a Lynyrd Skynyrd album.
For me, the best tracks were the heavy blues raunch of ‘Don’t Feed The Fire’, with a brilliant harmonica riff that drills into your skull. Once again, the lyrics conjure some heavy metal imagery: - “Oh, feel the fire, and the breathing down your neck/ But don’t feed the fire. They’re hired guns from the tower of strength/ You see them come, black vultures in the night, armed and ready, tryin’ to pick a fight!"
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The title track ‘In My Head’ also serves up something a little bit more, an acoustic guitar based bluesy song that moves into anthemic rock, this is the stand out track on the album. The lyrics here are dealing with a relationship split and subsequent depression: - “Lost for words now, down and broken. Been down before, but never this deep/ Do you remember when the lies begin to live? The only thing left under my feet/ Oh tell me mirror, there aint no way out of this mess/ Time to gather for a final stand, but I can’t get it out of my head”.
'In My Head' is a decent enough debut, although, on the downside the band do sound at times a lot like a Deep Purple xerox. There again, they aren’t afraid to go out on a limb on some of the tracks, and as a result, this ensures 'In My Head' is an album you'll revisit on its own merits.
Order 'In My Head' from The Spokes online store
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