Transference: Spoon (****) <Merge> Genre: Indie Rock More of the same never sounded this unique Whenever Spoon releases a new album, I’m almost always disappointed at first.  I thought 2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was boring as hell when I first listened to it.  Now it’s one of my favorite Spoon records.  The same could be said when I first heard Girls Can Tell, which was the first time I ever heard of the group.  They’re definitely a band that grows on you.  I love how they don’t quite sound like any other contemporary band out there, so Spoon always has a special connection with me.  So of course, it’s only natural that I was a little nervous when I heard about Transference coming out, especially when I heard several people remarking that it was kind of a “dud” record.   I think Transference’s biggest weakness is that it has a weak opener and a weak closer.  The middle, though: fantastic.  If you can shake off the unremarkably boring opener (“Before Destruction”), Transference really opens itself up to you.  I’m actually surprised that Transference sounds the way it does.  Given how big and dense Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was, I was expecting a further produced sound in the hopes that Spoon would reach out to a more mainstream audience.  This is not the case.  On their seventh album, the Austin based quartet decide to take a step backward in production.  This almost like a back-to-basics record, where Spoon experiments with unconventional structures almost in the vein of their 2002 record, Kill The Moonlight.   All in all, I’d say this unexpected move was a success.   Spoon showcases their talents here on Transference in terms of songwriting.  Every song has a hook, a cool guitar line, some form of pop sensibility.  But instead of going for the traditional verse-chorus-verse-chorus routine, it seems every song has an odd structure.  ”Written In Reverse” almost feels like an ongoing chorus for the whole song, briefly broken up by an awesome bridge.  The same could be said for their T. Rex-ish “The Mystery Zone” and the krautrock influenced closer “Nobody Gets Me But You.”  None of the songs are quite as immediate as the previous record, which probably means Transference isn’t going to chart well.  Basically, Spoon’s new record isn’t going to make new fans, but I don’t think the band was intending to anyway.   If I do have anything negative to say about this otherwise solid release, I’d say that Transference comes off as being a little uneven.   Honestly, I was close to giving the record three and a half stars instead of four, but when I listened to it more, I feel that three and a half stars would be selling Transference too short.  It’s more than just a pretty good record.  It’s a great record that trips and stumbles around a bit, an album that executes amazing form but doesn’t quite stick the landing.  ”Who Makes Your Money” may be one of Spoon’s most beautiful songs, both lyrically and structurally.  ”Trouble Comes Running” feels like a more raw “Sister Jack” from Gimme Fiction, and “Goodnight Laura” has this lo-fi charm to it that makes the listening experience somehow more special.  Of course, though, there are stumbles here and there.  A couple songs pass off as clunkers (“Got Nuffin’” doesn’t quite go anywhere, and “Out Go The Lights” is just kind of flat), but ultimately, I’d say Transference is way more good than bad.  Overall, I’d say Spoon has yet to make a bad record, and for making seven records already, that’s not something many other bands could say themselves.   Key Tracks: “The Mystery Zone,” “Written In Reverse,” “Trouble Comes Running” For Fans Of: Elvis Costello, Gang Of Four, Pixies, Yo La Tengo

Transference: Spoon (****) <Merge>

Genre: Indie Rock

More of the same never sounded this unique

Whenever Spoon releases a new album, I’m almost always disappointed at first.  I thought 2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was boring as hell when I first listened to it.  Now it’s one of my favorite Spoon records.  The same could be said when I first heard Girls Can Tell, which was the first time I ever heard of the group.  They’re definitely a band that grows on you.  I love how they don’t quite sound like any other contemporary band out there, so Spoon always has a special connection with me.  So of course, it’s only natural that I was a little nervous when I heard about Transference coming out, especially when I heard several people remarking that it was kind of a “dud” record.  

I think Transference’s biggest weakness is that it has a weak opener and a weak closer.  The middle, though: fantastic.  If you can shake off the unremarkably boring opener (“Before Destruction”), Transference really opens itself up to you.  I’m actually surprised that Transference sounds the way it does.  Given how big and dense Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was, I was expecting a further produced sound in the hopes that Spoon would reach out to a more mainstream audience.  This is not the case.  On their seventh album, the Austin based quartet decide to take a step backward in production.  This almost like a back-to-basics record, where Spoon experiments with unconventional structures almost in the vein of their 2002 record, Kill The Moonlight.  

All in all, I’d say this unexpected move was a success.  

Spoon showcases their talents here on Transference in terms of songwriting.  Every song has a hook, a cool guitar line, some form of pop sensibility.  But instead of going for the traditional verse-chorus-verse-chorus routine, it seems every song has an odd structure.  ”Written In Reverse” almost feels like an ongoing chorus for the whole song, briefly broken up by an awesome bridge.  The same could be said for their T. Rex-ish “The Mystery Zone” and the krautrock influenced closer “Nobody Gets Me But You.”  None of the songs are quite as immediate as the previous record, which probably means Transference isn’t going to chart well.  Basically, Spoon’s new record isn’t going to make new fans, but I don’t think the band was intending to anyway.  

If I do have anything negative to say about this otherwise solid release, I’d say that Transference comes off as being a little uneven.  

Honestly, I was close to giving the record three and a half stars instead of four, but when I listened to it more, I feel that three and a half stars would be selling Transference too short.  It’s more than just a pretty good record.  It’s a great record that trips and stumbles around a bit, an album that executes amazing form but doesn’t quite stick the landing.  ”Who Makes Your Money” may be one of Spoon’s most beautiful songs, both lyrically and structurally.  ”Trouble Comes Running” feels like a more raw “Sister Jack” from Gimme Fiction, and “Goodnight Laura” has this lo-fi charm to it that makes the listening experience somehow more special.  Of course, though, there are stumbles here and there.  A couple songs pass off as clunkers (“Got Nuffin’” doesn’t quite go anywhere, and “Out Go The Lights” is just kind of flat), but ultimately, I’d say Transference is way more good than bad.  Overall, I’d say Spoon has yet to make a bad record, and for making seven records already, that’s not something many other bands could say themselves.  

Key Tracks: “The Mystery Zone,” “Written In Reverse,” “Trouble Comes Running”

For Fans Of: Elvis Costello, Gang Of Four, Pixies, Yo La Tengo