February 22–March 1, 2001

disc quicks| rock/pop

Annie Hayden

The Rub

(Merge)

Of the three songwriters toiling in Jersey City’s Spent, Annie Hayden was by far the subtlest. Her stuff, unlike the punchier material filed by bandmates John King and Joe Weston, didn’t end up on the group’s singles. Rather, her finely layered tunes, replete with near-subconscious melodic hooks, resonated in your head long after you’d re-shelved their LPs. The Rub, the defunct (circa 1996) indie-pop foursome’s first solo output, establishes multi-instrumentalist Hayden as much more than the band’s token girl. She plays nearly everything herself on 11 tracks and, with help from King (recording and mixing) and another ex-Spent Ed Radich (on drums), Hayden crafts a sound both reminiscent and removed. Free of her old band’s occasionally overstylized arrangements, The Rub offers dips of organic soul (plucking away on the instrumental "Pistol and Glasses"), a swipe of plaintive pining (the autumnal, country-tinged "Alone") and flowering introspection (the office drama "Slip is Showing"). Hayden is a model of balance, knowing when to let her delicate voice carry a song and when to let her music do the work; check the stirring mid-set "Wood and Glue," where a trumpet flare and catchy chorus mingle with a noodly guitar line and Mellotron. The title of Hayden’s solo debut refers to problems or difficulty, but you’ll find very little of either.

—Brian Howard

Annie Hayden, backed by the rest of Spent, will perform with Ran Away To Sea, Canyon and The Trouble With Sweeney, Fri., Feb. 23, at The Upstage, 22 S. Third St. 215-627-7079.