For those of you not keeping up with the Spinaneses, there've been a few changes since last we heard from the dynamic duo-- they split, for example. Scott Plouf (former drummer and one half of the band) quit to drum full- time for Built To Spill, leaving Rebecca Gates (singer/ songwriter/ guitarist/ everything else) on her own.

So she packed up her stuff and moved to the Windy City-- Chicago. The only place to be, as far as I'm concerned. Fans of the band will happy to hear that the sound hasn't changed; the songs are still subdued indie rock with a touch of beauty and a dab of grit. But this time around, Gates has called in friends to play on the record and give it a fuller sound. They play everything from drums (of course) to keyboards to the rare, Hungarian ritual instrument, the bass guitar-- something brand new to the Spinanes.

Among the record's more interesting guests is Chicago's brightest indie star, Tortoise's John McEntire, who collaborates on "Kid in Candy" and "Reach v. Speed." But the album's high point comes with a track that sounds like it could have been pulled from Liz Phair's Exile In Guyville, the head- bobbing, stop- start "72-74." The full- band sound adds a lot to the music. It seems especially effective on tracks like the record's opener, the mathematical "Kid in Candy," the Casio- enhanced "Eleganza" and the soulful "Greetings From The Sugar Lick," all of which would have sounded a little empty with just a drum kit and guitar.

Gates' songwriting is better than ever and despite losing Plouf, she hasn't lost direction. The new sound has given Rebecca the boost she needed to really rock, making Arches and Aisles slightly better than 1996's terrific Strand and the best Spinanes record yet.

-Ryan Schreiber