Span Mass Distraction Genres:Alternative Rock, International Music, Pop, Rock The debut album by Norwegian four-piece Span is chock full of fat riffs & big melodic choruses. Influenced by nu-metal originators Incubus & the godfathers of funk-metal Faith No More, 'Mass Distraction' is a pumpe... more »d up, adrenaline inducing record of pure unadulterated rock mayhem. The power lies in the catchiness, no doubt influenced by the production work of Gil Norton (Foo Fighters/Distillers), 'Mass Distraction' is addictive listening. Every sky-scraping chorus incites fist pumping sing-a-longs & every lick inspires manic air guitar (just make sure you're not out in public). A huge album from a band with a huge potential. Includes the singles, 'Found', 'Don't Think The Way They Do', 'Baby's Come Back', & 'On My Way Down'. Features 12 tracks including the video for the song 'Don't Think The Way They Do'. Universal/Island. 2004.« less
The debut album by Norwegian four-piece Span is chock full of fat riffs & big melodic choruses. Influenced by nu-metal originators Incubus & the godfathers of funk-metal Faith No More, 'Mass Distraction' is a pumped up, adrenaline inducing record of pure unadulterated rock mayhem. The power lies in the catchiness, no doubt influenced by the production work of Gil Norton (Foo Fighters/Distillers), 'Mass Distraction' is addictive listening. Every sky-scraping chorus incites fist pumping sing-a-longs & every lick inspires manic air guitar (just make sure you're not out in public). A huge album from a band with a huge potential. Includes the singles, 'Found', 'Don't Think The Way They Do', 'Baby's Come Back', & 'On My Way Down'. Features 12 tracks including the video for the song 'Don't Think The Way They Do'. Universal/Island. 2004.
CD Reviews
Extraordinary
Chris Hanks | Los Angeles | 04/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just listened to this all the way through for the first time and my head's still spinning. It's a little hard to describe all of the varied influences that converge onto what is Span, but the result is rich and novel. This is the second time a CD has made it onto my "10 for a desert island" list after its inaugural spin (the first being Elliott Smith's XO).
A gun-metal band whose energy level never drops below just above the speed limit, Span finds the time to be subtle and nuanced somewhere amid the controlled chaos: powerfully rich harmonies in "Stay as You Are," melodic voicings in "Missing in Stereo," the innovative chord phrasings in "On My Way Down," and a trip to the moshpit with "Baby's Come Back" are a few of the treats on this explosive-but-professional effort. It's seamless.
And as someone who thinks that the neoconservative corporate-conformist anti-intellectualism (the one that's got Americans thinking it a good thing to quietly and uncritically nod along while the bible usurps their Constitution and warmongering trumps diplomacy) sends a bad message, Span seems to have a good message: Conform at your own risk.
I have a 91-year-old friend whose birthday is coming up in May, and I'm getting her this CD. It's *that* good."
These guys were born for this
Robert A. Gunderson | USA | 07/21/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When I heard "Stay as you are" for the first time in a car commercial I thought "WOW! I gotta find out who these guys are!" After a little internet research and getting the CD I found that the rest of Spans music grabbed me with equal voracity. In my 30 some odd years of music buying (I'm 43)I've had a love at first listen experience only 3 times. That was Aerosmith "Rocks", Jeff Beck "Wired", and Primus "Anti-pop". I haven't been this excited about a band in years. I'm sure that younger listeners will find newer bands to compare Span to that I'm unfamiliar with, but to me they have a "Toys in The Attic" era Aerosmith vibe goin' on. That is not to say that these guys are a knock-off band, they have their own sound. And there's a number of other influences I hear, most notably (at least in my head) Stone Temple Pilots, Cheap Trick and Joe Satriani. But they have that same swagger and strut confidence and cockiness that Steve Tyler and company have. It's headbanging and at the same time toe tapping music.
As a long time lover of progressive rock (Steve Morse, Jeff Beck, Dream Theatre, etc.) most straight up rock and roll bands don't keep my attention. But Span, while having a straight up rock and roll energy to them, also have a highly developed sense of composition. They masterfully turn phrasings and change up beats without interrupting the flow. They know how to contrast pauses and silence with the heavy stuff to create an even heavier feel; something that few bands, even some great ones, understand. And you gotta love the singers voice (I wish I knew their names); this guy sounds like he's got some nads and he doesn't have to scream all day to prove it.
I also have to compliment the producers of this CD. Over the years I can't count how many bands I've heard that had great material that was either drowned in effects or had production values that made the sound thin. "Mass Distraction" doesn't have any production distractions. All that comes through is the music, loud and clear.
All in all, Span has every ingredient to become a HUGE success. Because of the diversity of musical tastes these days it's hard to say how huge, but having that perfect combination of brains, heart and balls I think Spans appeal will pull alot of people out of their boxes. This music sounds like it comes so naturally to them that they must have been doing it since the craddle.
P.S. to Chris Hanks: I whole-heartedly agree with your music review. But how about saving your silly-ass, simple minded political opinions for MoveOn.org or the blog zone. Just a suggestion."
Great rock CD
J. Rutledge | 04/13/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This cd has great rock-n-roll guitars, good beats and wonderful vocals. I absolutely cannot stop listening to it!"
A hidden gem
Stratify | Fort Collins, CO USA | 05/26/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I caught a brief clip of "Stay as you are" on a Nissan Xterra commercial and set about "Intergoogling" to figure out who wrote the song. A 10 second clip of this song was all I needed to know that I was hearing rock-n-roll the way it was meant to be played ... around 11 with the tweeters blown.
I listened to every track - brilliant, each one. Span swings for the fences with each tune. The real standouts are: "Stay as you Are" - a scathing political commentary of Tony Blair's relationship with the Bush administration, "Papa", "Found" and "Peaceful". A B-side track, "Cuts Like Diamonds" is IMO their best song, but difficult to find. This band is primed to break into the American mainstream, but just isn't quite there yet. Think of Span as Smashing Pumpkins, con huevos.
