Review: Spoon - Transference

For the purposes of being up front with my biases, Spoon is part of a triumvriate of bands that are my favorites. The other two are Sigur Rós and Beirut, but Spoon is perhaps even higher than the other two. In my mind they are on a three album streak of absolute knockouts with 2002's Kill The Moonlight, 2005's Gimme Fiction, and 2007's blockbuster release Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

However, leading up to their January 19th release Transference, reviews had been scattered. A lot of reviewers were making statements of "it's a step back for the band" and "this is no Ga x 5."

To me, that is an unfair way to review something. While Transference is assuredly no Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, that album in itself was wildly different than Kill The Moonlight or even Gimme Fiction. The same basic elements that comprise Spoon are evident across all of the albums - the swagger, the grooves, the unique, soulful vocals Britt Daniel gives us. To discredit the album in itself because of its inability to recapture the magic of a pop masterpiece like Ga or Moonlight is just a listener creating unfair expectations for an album.

Because this album is without a doubt a success, and another fine addition to Spoon's ever growing discography.

This album seems to fuse a lot of the more melancholy and lo-fi aspects of 2001's Girls Can Tell with the precision pop of their last two releases. I think one of the biggest issues people have with the album is that while listening to the opening four tracks, nothing jumps off the page like Moonlight's "Small Stakes", Fiction's "I Turn My Camera On", or Ga's "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb".

Then, the fifth track comes up and it is single "Written in Reverse" and it almost bottoms out those first four tracks by giving us a jam that is exactly like what we expect from the band. It hearkens back to "Camera", but with less emphasis on a smooth jam, more of something Daniel can really reach back and give us some hearty yelps and the rest of the band can give us some raw power - it really stands out given the low key nature of the albums beginning.

Yet those first four tracks hold a lot of gold in their lengths. "Before Destruction" and its slow build intensity coupled with Daniel's soulful vocals. "Is Love Forever?" and the echoing vocals and classic Spoon driving guitars. "The Mystery Zone" and its bizarre half song feel (it starts in the midst of the track and closes in the middle of Daniel singing the title) mixed with some fantastic instrumental arrangements that recalls "Don't You Evah". "Who Makes Your Money" is perhaps the most jarring of the openers, as it is a slow, hazy jam that ambles in its disconnectedness, but still draws you in.

Really, those first four tracks are a great sampling of what to expect. It's Spoon trying something new, but ultimately it still sounds like Spoon doing what they do better than almost anyone else: making great music. While tracks like the previously released "Got Nuffin" or the aforementioned "Written in Reverse" do bring our minds back to past releases, this is Spoon at their most experimental. While it isn't as instantly inviting as previously releases, it is more of a grower and something that is building on me after a delightful first listen.

Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is this: if you come into this album and are disappointed because you don't hear singles all over the place like on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, perhaps it isn't the album's fault but your expectations. This is a Spoon album through and through, and an occasionaly raucous and very enjoyable one at that. Enjoy it for what it is, and don't focus too much on what it isn't.

Spoon - Transference: B+

If you would like to try a free, legal stream of this album, check it out at NPR's website here. Thanks Web Sheriff!