Review
Jon Spencer
Spencer Sings The Hits!

In The Red (2018) Kevin Fitzpatrick

Jon Spencer – Spencer Sings The Hits! cover artwork
Jon Spencer – Spencer Sings The Hits! — In The Red, 2018

Garage rock is a term that no longer gets a lot of usage - dissipating into the ether after the resurgence and seeming demise of the genre around the mid-00s. The thing is, it never died. We just forgot where to look. And when it comes to unabashed, unapologetic garage rock, you need look no further than Jon Spencer. He of the Blues Explosion and Pussy Galore. He who started the fuzzy, fizzy guitar sound that contemporaries like Jack White seem to get all the credit for. But make no mistake - Spencer did it first, and Spencer does it better.

Listening to tracks like “Ghost” and “Overload”, it becomes evident that Spencer has no real interest in changing his formula but that’s all part of its charm. The garage is still his laboratory and Spencer Sings The Hits! has the formula to put a smile on your face, a swagger in your walk and a sway in your hips. What music does that anymore? Music that elicits that kind of response all but died with The Ramones. But bless Jon Spencer’s greasy ol’ truck-stop heart leading the charge for the next generation. 

Jon Spencer – Spencer Sings The Hits! cover artwork
Jon Spencer – Spencer Sings The Hits! — In The Red, 2018

Related news

Jon Spencer & the HITmakers with two tours

Posted in Tours on September 17, 2022

Jon Spencer & The Hitmakers (& a Quasi connection)

Posted in Records on February 19, 2022

Recently-posted album reviews

1186

Histeria
Drunken Sailor (2025)

If you read enough press releases, you start questioning if you even know what genre names mean. Post-punk has been one of the most abused terms of the past 2-3 years and it seems to mean wildly different things to different people. To me, it’s always meant an ear for angular guitars and noise atop more traditional song concepts. 1186 … Read more

Li Jianhong

Shuttle Raven of the Dream
Utech (2025)

Li Jianhong's philosophy surpasses the direct relationship of a musician with their instrument of choice. Instead, Li has advocated for Environment Improvisation, where the urge to create and improvise is established by the artist's surroundings. Looking at Li's website you can find numerous instances that inspired him to settle down and start improvising, drawing energy from the surroundings. The music … Read more

Deseos Primitivos

Lineas de Muerte
Shadowplay Records (2025)

Some reviews are written after years of listening to a band and knowing nearly everything about them. Sometimes I listen to a record on repeat for weeks before I even look up the correct song titles – Deseos Primitivos (Primitive Desires) is the latter. This promo came to SPB as literally a one sentence quote about the band and its … Read more