Indie-pop legends Spoon return with another set of tunes designed to make you dance … and think.
Maybe not, but it’s always a good day when Spoon puts out a new album, and Transference is a healthy addition to the catalog. From the jittery “Who Makes Your Money?” to the low-key ballad “Goodnight Laura,” the album hits all the right spots. The swaggering “Written in Reverse” has some delightfully dissonant piano fills, and the chugging “I Saw the Light” abruptly shifts gears into an instrumental breakdown before getting its Krautrock-inspired groove back. “Out Go the Lights” also does the extended instrumental trick, sounding strangely like Interpol. Best cut is “Got Nuffin,” which rocks as hard as Spoon can muster. Overall, Transference seems to be a slight re-visitation of the guitarier sound of A Series of Sneaks — a good thing. It might be considered damning them with faint praise to say their albums are consistent, but how many bands make albums that are start-to-finish good these days? Not many, but Spoon is still one of them.
This article appears in February 3, 2010.