Spoon - Transference

Critical reception for Transference wasn't quite as strong overall as for Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, but in the end I might prefer it a little bit. It's a bit less structured and produced, and a little more sloppy and jammy. It's definitely a deliberate choice, and one that I thought tended to work out. Some of the flourishes are a bit weird, like some pointless echoing and abruptly ending tracks that I was quite in the middle of enjoying, but it also pays off big in songs like "Got Nuffin'", which is four minutes of sort of the same thing, but it's a thing I really like and it simply wouldn't have happened on a more focused record. I definitely find myself overall liking Spoon more than I did when I first listened to them, as they seem to me to be simply the perfect example of what a rock band should be these days. Britt has a great voice for it, and when you combine their talent for songwriting with their ability to play a damn song, there's not much they don't have covered.

"Before Destruction" definitely isn't the sort of song I expected them to open with, and it sort of sets that unusual tone for the whole thing. "The Mystery Zone" is one of the jammier pieces on the album, and a pleasant one to let wash over you for five minutes. "Who Makes Your Money" is enjoyable in a similar way, but before anyone gets too worried about them getting soft "Written in Reverse" plays, which sounds more like something from their last album and features a lot of shouting and cool interplay. "I Saw the Light" is the longest track, and is another nice jam before it switches gears midway through and becomes more piano driven. "Goodnight Laura" is definitely the ballad of the album, and is pleasant enough although it doesn't do anything as interesting as "The Ghost of You Lingers". "Out Go the Lights" is another good, more mellow song, maybe my favorite on the record. It ends pretty strong, and while never too brilliant, it's a completely solid and enjoyable rock album. I'm definitely going to check out their earlier stuff at some point when everyone totally adored them.