First Take: Spoon - Transference

Spoon - Transference
January 19, 2010
Merge Records

Spoon is one of my favorite artists. Britt Daniel and Co. have a few big things going for them that I can't help but respect and enjoy.

#1 - A wholly unique sound. There is not another band making music today that consistently exercises the level of restraint that Spoon does. When they record an album, the more over-produced it becomes, the more spare and understated it sounds. Their older, simpler jams feature big, rough guitar hooks (Car Radio off A Series of Sneaks) while their most carefully recorded pieces are wispy, borderline ethereal tunes (Paper Tiger off Kill the Moonlight). Nobody produces with more texture and contrast.

#2 - A willingness to morph significantly from album to album. They thinned out their sound, playing more and more with production tricks on  on each of their first several albums before bringing back the heat with the guitar-centric Gimme Fiction. Somehow they followed that with an album that distilled all of their strengths, absolutely did not sell out, and yet became big-time Billboard fodder (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga hit #10 on the US Charts).

#3 - Britt Daniel's voice. It's undeniably sexy and throaty, whether he's howling, snarling, or just narrating a nice little jaunt. I would definitely be willing to listen to a Scientologist recruitment seminar in his voice. Maybe he's not the Morgan Freeman of rock voices (that distinction may go to golden-throated lyrical idiot Chris Cornell), but he's at least the Patrick Stewart (Make It So!).

So here we are, a week after Spoon released their newest album, Transference. I find myself a little bit unsatisfied, though it's hard to explain why. Yes, pieces of it feature production on par with their best ("Who Makes Your Money"), and it does represent a change of direction from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Britt's voice is certainly as charismatic as ever. I worry, then, that Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga has instilled in me a dangerous desire; for Spoon to write full hooks! It's not in their nature. Typically, they deconstruct their compositions until only one or two songs on an album have truly bursting choruses. Even though Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was quite varied in song style, they fleshed out every song to show off what it could be.

Here, Spoon retreats to the showing us skeletons of songs, sketches of directions they could pursue. In light of their recent track record, though, these skeletons are a bit unsatisfying. Rather than structures to build on, showcasing strong rhythm and melody, they feel like fossils, old remnants that have many of the living and breathing parts worn away. A testament to what could have been, but not as remarkable as walking among the originals and experiencing the fully realized potential.

Overall Rating: *** out of *****

See This Post to download singles from Transference.

A Note: If you ever have the chance to see Spoon play live, let it be known that they are perfectionists both in and out of the studio. This means you will not hear a sloppy beat or a note out of place, and they will be extremely professional and impressive on stage. However, it also means that your experience will closely resemble listening to a Spoon album in a good pair of headphones. They do not go "above and beyond" in an attempt to make the live show transcend. All in all, Spoon is a fantastic band with many albums that I have devoured time and again, from first note to last. I eagerly await their next album in hopes that it will again vault them to the heights they typically inhabit.