Transference

by

Spoon

Edit

I'd say Spoon is one of the most consistantly reliable indie bands out there today. They haven't put out a bad or mediocre album in over 15 years and I think they're at the point where the "Spoon" sound is whatever they say it is. If Transference had been their second or third record, or even if they had followed up Girls Can Tell with this album, I think most fans would be confused. Even though this album has caught me a little off guard, one thing is for sure, and that's that this album is a grower. I picked it up at a small indie store three days ago that usually (and quietly) sells new releases a day or two before the official release date. Since then I've listened to this record front to back about 7 times in the car and at work and the more I listen to it, the harder it is for me to think of it than anything else but the next logical step in Spoon's career.

Unlike the new Vampire Weekend record (which takes all of the bands quirks at turns them up to ten way too early in the band's career), Spoon smartly diverged from what people might have expected...especially if they're newcomers to the band. I think if they had made a record that sounded like the sequel to Gimme Fiction or Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, they would have been accused of playing it safe and falling into a rut.

Rather than that, they went into the studio by themselves and found their essence I think. This is their seventh record and I think they've earned this kind of creative license. The important thing to remember is that just because these songs don't sound like classic Spoon songs at first doesn't mean they aren't. Songs like "The Mystery Zone," "I Saw the Light," and "Nobody Gets Me But You," couldn't have been written by any other band and will become (diehard) fan favorites in no time.

I'd be willing to bet that even though Transference isn't as immediately accessible as the last 3 or 4 albums, and thus may not be appreciated by newcomers quite so much, this record will be on plenty of top 10 lists at the end of the year. It should also make their live shows even better because when you put your headphones on, you really start to appreciate how catchy these songs are.

In closing...has Spoon ever done you wrong in the past? Of course not. Transference is no different.