The controlled storm that is The Spooks had quite the year in 2010. The Fishtown boys kept busy unleashing songs on the Internet, hiring a new manager, and building a serious buzz about their raucous, must-see live performance that often left the band and crowd drenched in beer, sweat, and occasionally puke. The band self-released a gem in their garage-surf 7” Sleepy Monsters that is incredibly tight in its songwriting while still feeling completely unhinged. While the reverb, broken instruments, and general mayhem of their live show is what caught people’s attention initially, it is their skillfully crafted pop songs that set them apart from the slew of “garage” acts. The band supported the release of their 7” with a huge tour that took them coast-to-coast melting faces and creating shenanigans all along the way. They also recorded their debut LP with Adam Granduciel of The War On Drugs/Kurt Vile, which had plans for release on Mark Schoneveld/Yvynyl’s Trig Club label (though the album may come out on Small Plates now). The Spooks may take cues from early bands like The Kinks or The Clash, but they are a new breed entirely and are keeping their sound fresh by never taking things too seriously. 2010 was a pretty fruitful year for The Spooks considering their relatively limited output of material, so it will be exciting to see where they go in 2011 with a fresh new album burning a hole in their pockets. – Adam G.