Spoon is Spoon
And that’s just fine with me.
They have never put out an album I have disliked. But it’s unlikely they’ll ever produce an album that so perfectly captured the mood of the times like 2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. It was a high water mark in their career of being awesome, and this year’s Transference is much the same, if more of a grower.
There were songs on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga that I immediately took to and loved and they’re now some of my favourite songs of all time. I’m really trying not to sound like a super fan, but I think I’m failing. Anyway, I like this new album. I’ve listened to it non-stop since I got it. But I’m having a hard time writing about it. I’m not sure why.
As a whole, Transference sounds a lot like their last album. And every Spoon album, really. There are moments of brilliance. Sheer genius. Jangly, discordant notes that somehow, in Spoon’s hands, sound right together. Jarring sounds — including Britt Daniel’s craggy, lonely voice — come together to make beautiful music. There are a lot of songs on Transference that remind me of other Spoon songs. And that’s not a bad thing, because they’re good. But they’re kinda interchangeable. So I picked one, “Trouble Comes Running” to play for you here.
Last time out, the listening experience felt extremely intimate and personal, but Transference feels slightly removed and chilly. It’s surprising, but beautiful in its own way. Like going to bed on a steamy, hot summer evening and waking up to frozen streets and trees covered in prickly hoarfrost.
And another thing I’ve noticed that seems different here is the percussion. It seems a little samey, a little drone-y. And it carries over on almost every song. There are things that break it up, but it can be a little much.
“Got Nuffin” is one of those songs where the drums just overwhelm you, but the scratchy, fuzzy guitar cuts through that drumming cleanly. Britt Daniel does his gravel-voiced falsetto to perfection and, in fact, on a few songs, like the slow, simple, quiet rightness of “Goodnight Laura” I think he sounds remarkably clear and smooth. Like he’s been taking vocal lessons or something. I can’t decide which version of his voice I like better, but I like that he made an effort to try something slightly different.
Really, this is a fantastic album and another fine addition to Spoon’s ever-expanding catalogue of fantastic albums. It’s going to be tough to beat Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and ultimately, I’m not sure they’ve done that with Transference. But I can’t wait to see them tonight in Toronto at Sound Academy.
Buy their stuff, including vinyl, on their online store or iTunes.
Spoon - Trouble Comes Running : Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Spoon - Goodnight Laura: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Spoon - Got Nuffin: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
if you really want to improve your singing voice, then vocal lessons are really necessary -
you should take vocal lessons if there is a need for you to sound like Taylor Swift or Josh Groban ~,’