Album Review: Transference

March 11, 2010 2:56 am 0 comments

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Parker Evans

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In 2006, Spoon released Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga: the first Top Ten album from the band from Austin, Tex.
After a decade of being one of the indie world’s favorite rock bands, Spoon got a taste of the mainstream world, with some commercial spots and movie soundtracks (Click).
With punchy guitars, funky bass lines and a minimalist approach to rock, Spoon’s songs made heads bob and bounce.
This year’s release, Transference, proves that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
By carrying over the same style from previous albums, while mixing in new elements, Spoon understands what makes their music popular.
Where Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga’s style was catchy pop rock with little actual instrumentation, Transference seems a little bit more willing to tweak around in the studio.
The single, “Written in Reverse,” is classic Spoon. With rhythmic bluesy piano in the foreground, singer Britt Daniel’s voice, normally twinged with a smoker’s rasp, is gloriously shot. It’s as if he recorded the song after screaming at the top of his lungs at his band mates. His voice on this track is the high point on an album that is full with strong vocals.
“The Mystery Zone” mixes punchy guitar riffs with some subtle disco strings to create one of the highlights on the record.
Spoon experiments a little with some spacey funk and vocal effects on “Who Makes Your Money” with mixed results.
“Goodnight Laura” marks a change in pace with ballad-like piano and a down-tempo beat.
One of the gems on the album is the next-to-last track “Got Nuffin.”
A re-release from Spoon’s June EP of the same name, the driving drums and bass push the vocal melody to the optimistic chorus: “I’ve got nothing to lose/ but darkness and shadows.” Daniel lets his voice sound a little looser, resulting in a carefree vibe.
Fans of Cake, the Kooks and Modest Mouse will be the most likely to understand Spoon’s charm, but the bouncier songs from Transference will surely be enough to capture the average music fan’s attention.
While Spoon doesn’t venture far from its previous success, its sound is still original enough to make an album that is genuinely fun to listen to.

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