Tangled Up In Wires

Austin-based Spoon have been critical darlings for a long time but in 2007, they released Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and broke out as much as is possible for a band to do in this day and age. Somehow simultaneously finding Spoon at their most experimental and most poppy, Ga x5 could have saddled the band with unmeetable expectations for where they went next. Their newest record, Transference, sounds a lot more like Spoon, fusing stripped down punk rock with sinewy R&B while freshening up their sound more synths and a decidedly harsher production, resulting in a record that sounds like it listening in on Spoon’s rehearsals and half-finished demos.

Which is not to say the record doesn’t have its share of surprises. Opener “Before Destruction” sounds suprisingly lo-fi and is even sparser than usual, setting the tone for a record that trades in the horns and quirky lushness of their last record for a much barer and immediate sound. But its followed by“Is Love Forever?” which, with its out-of-control, driving guitar and breakneck pacing sounds like classic Spoon. Stompy first single “Written in Reverse” has Britt Daniel alternating between a Princely falsetto and unhinged shouting, while “The Mystery Zone” is a nice example of the spacey, echoed-out atmospherics that Spoon can dish out when they’re in the right mood. “Trouble Come Running,” meanwhile, may be the catchiest song on the entire record; perhaps a breakup song with at solid 1960s pop feel with some terrific background harmonies.

That said, its not entirely business as usual for the band. “Who Makes Your Money” is a slower, near-ballad with enough synths and vocal effects to fit right in the ongoing 1980s revival (with an especially nice guitar part in the middle). That’s not as much of a shock as “Goodnight Laura” a McCartney-esque piano ballad that almost comes out of nowhere in the middle of the record (and the Spoon catalogue). “Goodnight Laura” is perhaps the rawest song on the album, feeling a little like walking in on Britt Daniel in the middle of working on a new song and while its a little more direct and heartfelt than I like my Spoon, its a reflection on just how good Britt Daniel’s songwriting is that they kind of carry it off. While the record does go on a little too long, especially towards the back half (an unusual problem for Spoon) it still comes to a satisfying conclusion with the 70s funk slow-burner “Nobody Gets Me But You.” And its a little weird seeing a band as set in its ways as Spoon jumping on the lo-fi and 80s synth bandwagons, even if they’re doing it in their own idiosyncratic way.

Transference isn’t Spoon’s best album, or even in the top 5, but that’s not really too harsh a criticism of band with the stellar catalog that they have. The problem with writing about Spoon is that they’ve been so good for so long its difficult to write anything more than “nice job guys, keep up the good work.” They’re getting to the point where each release is so good that its becoming boring. But as long as their music remains as immediate and bracing as on Transference, they will still demand attention.

Jonah’s Score: 71

Tangled Up In Wires Grade: B