Fruit Bats Seek New Drummer

The Fruit Bats have recorded the follow up to 2003's Mouthfuls and Sub Pop will release the album, entitled Spelled by Bones, on July 26. After a series of supporting dates alongside such luminaries as label mates the Shins and Iron & Wine, and dates with Modest Mouse and Wilco, band leader Eric Johnson had every intention of recording a more cheerless album. According to Sub Pop, Johnson explained, "I was going to write this dark bummer record with shades of optimism, but my life started getting better."

Although the dim clouds have broken to reveal the same hopeful but tweaked pop that the Fruit Bats are known for, what we do see with the new album is a more pensive Johnson, reflecting on past histories, ruminating on the relationship between man and nature and finding unsuspected pockets of happiness in everyday life. While North America and Australia will see the new album on July 26, the UK and Europe won't be able to get their hands on it until sometime in September. Also tentatively penciled in for September are U.S. tour dates, depending on if a drummer can be found in time. Johnson is looking for a drummer in the mold of a "Mick Fleetwood or Nick Mason...steady moving with the occasional classic fill" who is based in or around the Seattle area, and who can commit to a few weeks of touring in the fall. Check out the band's site (link below) for details.

Here's the tracklist for Spelled by Bones:

01 Lives of Crime
02 Silent Life
03 TV Waves
04 Canyon Girl
05 Born in the 70s
06 Legs of Bees
07 The Earthquake of 73
08 Traveler's Song
09 The Wind That Blew My Heart Away
10 Spelled in Bones
11 Every Day That We Wake Up It's a Beautiful Day

* Fruit Bats:

Posted by David Nadelle on Fri, Jul 22, 2005 at 12:00am