Sprung Monkey

[Originally written on 10-07-2009; finishing & posting now]



I have a section in my music collection titled "BuffyMusic". It contains not only the soundtrack albums and scores from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but also various bands i've discovered via the show. During its later seasons they did start getting bigger names and popular acts, but in the early days they mostly just brought in local bands to play at the Bronze.

I've always had a good feeling about the music from Buffy, but rewatching the first season recently (we're midway through season 2 now) made me realize that the Bronze is a goldmine of awesome bands. Nice mix of solid modern rock, punk, some experimental stuff, and of course soulful ballads - songs which are sad but laced with hope.

As we watched through that first season, i looked up all of the music which appeared in the episodes and ended up adding 7 or 8 albums (and counting) to my BuffyMusic collection. Most of these are bands who didn't make it onto the official soundtrack cds (and whose awesomeness, therefore, had slipped my memory).

My favorite out of the batch is a band from San Diego called Sprung Monkey. They showed up in three episodes with a total of six different songs used. Their tone reminds me a little of Four Star Mary (who played the part of Oz's band, Dingos Ate My Baby, on the show), although Sprung Monkey plays a little darker and heavier. I feel the same way about both bands: I can't quite put my finger on it, but i just *like* their songs. Simple, yet dynamic, and they just feel honest, y'know? Perfect live music to accompany an evening in a dark bar on a crisp autumn evening. They represent perfectly the deep fondness with which i look back on the 90s.

Anyway, i'd like to share two of my favorite Sprung Monkey songs. The first is the title track from their 1995 album Swirl. I love the way the rhythm comes together on this one:


And the second is a track called "Reluctant Man" from the same album.


I haven't checked out much of their other stuff yet, but i intend to. I'll also be keeping an eye out for for a chance to see them live; San Diego's not *that* far away from here.