Prodigal Son Josh Haden Finds A Deeper Shade Of Electric Blue. By Sean Murphy IN A YEAR when "alternative" music seems more than ever to be dominated by calculated anger and aggression, the success of the band Spain comes as a welcome anomaly. As heard on their debut album, The Blue Moods Of Spain, the quartet, featuring Josh Haden (vocals, bass), Ken Boudakian (guitar, organ), Merlo Podlewski (guitar) and Evan Hartzell (drums), takes a decidedly more subtle approach than loud, fast, hard. Tucson will get a chance to see what all the fuss is about when Spain make their only Arizona appearance Sunday, May 19, at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. At once recalling a number of disparate influences without neatly fitting into any category, The Blue Moods Of Spain is a beautiful triumph of understatement and melancholy that's appealing to an ever increasing audience. "We get everything from 11-year-old punk rock skateboarders who like us to grandparents, you know?" Haden tells me over the phone from Los Angeles. "This punk rock skateboard kid came up to me--he looked just like I did when I was 14--and he says, 'You guys and Green Day are my favorite bands,' and I was blown away by that." Haden tells me older people identify with Spain's music as well and that "they're surprised such a young guy could write songs they really like." One listen to Blue Moods and the band's wide- ranging appeal makes sense. Spare instrumentation and incredibly slow tempos create a lush background for Haden's lyrics of deeply personal turmoil. Sadness has long been a staple of much great popular music. From the low moan of the blues to the raw emotion of Billie Holiday and the country ballads of Roy Orbison and Gram Parsons, lyrics built around loss and longing have cut across genres and cultures, creating a lasting legacy. The music of Spain continues this tradition, dexterously avoiding a lapse into self pity or sappiness. Not surprisingly, the genesis of the band was brought on, in part, by a low point in Haden's life. "I had just broken up with a girl who I was totally in love with and she really dumped me in a bad way," Haden reveals. "It put me in a very depressed mental state and, in trying to deal with the problems that put me into that situation, I think that's when I started writing these songs." Explaining both the broad appeal and the musical vision of the songs, Haden says, "I think the theme of a lot of the songs, almost exclusively, is people either gaining or losing a sense of love or trust for another person. That is kind of the blueprint for how I write songs--lyrics and trying to match the mood of the lyrics to the music." If it seems, following current trends, it would be easier to create something musically and lyrically angry, Haden says for him the more subtle approach of Spain has a greater impact. "Yeah, I think so, although there's a place for all different kinds of music and I really like a lot of rockin' bands. I'm not really moved by it that much to want to write those kind of songs. I can affect people more if I come from an approach where I'm not shoving things down people's throats." The release of Blue Moods has garnered critical acclaim and growing radio airplay. Considering the notorious reputation the music industry has in its reluctance to take chances with hard-to-classify acts, Haden doesn't seem worried the band will be marketed along the lines of the recent lounge revival. "Well, I don't think we're being put in the lounge band category," Haden says. "I don't think our music sounds like a lounge band like Combustible Edison. We're a lot different even though the stage volume is similar. I think the style is a lot different. I really like Combustible Edison, but I don't identify our music with each other." Indeed, despite the potential for pigeonholing (vintage suits, cool-jazz cover art, etc.) the word "lounge" rarely comes up when discussing Spain's sound. A sense of more substantial musical styles comes through on the album. Haden's vocals recall the breathy southern sound of Palace while the music's spare mix of guitar, bass and drums brings to mind elements of soul, blues and jazz without ever really sounding like any of them. On more than one cut, Spain explores the same sonic atmospheres that the Velvet Underground did in their quieter moments. While the country and jazz influences are self-evident (Josh's father, bassist Charlie Haden, gained recognition for bringing the rural country music of his youth to jazz), Haden does see some validity in the frequent comparisons to the Velvet Underground. "Yeah, I think so," Haden says. "Especially with a lot of the droney songs like 'World Of Blue.' " Comparisons aside, Spain still manages to sound utterly unique, the meticulously precise arrangements on the album creating an impression of simplicity that belies their complex nature. Most of this comes from Haden's refusal to record before he felt the songs or the band were ready. "We spent a lot of time rehearsing for it," Haden says. "When we went into the studio, I had in mind the basic structure for arrangements so a lot of times we would record with that blueprint in mind." The deceptive simplicity of the music also led to problems when original drummer Evan Hartzell left the band in December. "A lot of really good rock drummers have a hard time playing our music," says Haden. "They tend to overplay or in some instances they just can't get the rhythm straight. We went through auditioning maybe five different drummers and, luckily, one of the guys--David Harte--is used to playing in more rock and roll bands and basically he's just a great drummer with an open mind and a sensitive ear to the songs." Music fans can be thankful the position got filled; it would be remiss not to make the short trip downtown to find a dark, smoky corner to hear the results up close and personal. Catch Spain at 9 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Tickets are $5 at the door. Call 622-8848 for information.

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