No Safety were not what you are expecting if you came to them from the Curlew connection. Spill, their second and last studio effort, is a rock record. Call it alternative, progressive, or avant if you will: it draws from several genres. But, fans of the New York downtown scene aside, people most likely to favor this album would be fans of the '80s and '90s King Crimson. The pounding riffs and the interplay between the guitars of Chris Cochrane and Doug Seidel put a lot of the songs somewhere between the Crimson of the '80s and the direction(s) the band would take later down the line. Cochrane's vocal stylings are especially reminiscent of Adrian Belew (Sad, co-written by Cochrane and Tom Cora, could be the missing link between Three of a Perfect Pair and THRAK). That being said, No Safety were no copycats and Spill is more experimental and deconstructionist than any KC record. In addition to the guitarists, this album features Zeena Parkins playing keyboards, electric harp, and accordion; Ann Rupel on bass; Tim Spelios on drums (replacing Pippin Barnett); and guest David Shea at the turntables and samplers. Cochrane, Parkins, and Rupel share lead vocal duties. Despite its leanings toward complex writing and experimental quirks, the group remains faithful to the song format, and all 16 tracks are kept under five minutes. Ideas are developed efficiently; melodies are not over-repeated, which helps maintain a fast pace throughout the album. Highlights abound, but Sad, Pavlov's Heaven, and Saturday Morning stand out because of their catchy melodies and tight arrangements. This is one of the best albums of N.Y.C. avant rock before Sonic Youth imposed their noise aesthetics on the genre. It is also worth noting that there are no repeats between the repertoire of this studio album and the songs performed on Live at the Knitting Factory. ~ François Couture, Rovi

1		Oh No
2		Sad
3		Summer Dress
4		Distraction
5		Post Nature
6		Face
7		Cambodia
8		A Sense of Ruin
9		Pavlov's Heaven
10		Wrong Number Dream
11		Happy for Now
12		Saturday Morning
13		Swoon Me
14		Urge
15		Open Your Eyes
16		Split Control
17		Digital Booklet: Spill