Spoon Album Review

Album Review:

Spoon

Transference

Release Date: January 19, 2010

Rating: 3 stars+ chick friendly

This is not a synthed up album.  There is no overdone sound effects, or samples or beats. It is part acoustic, part mellow, part old school alternative.  It is good solid music, with sound lyrics and easy rhythms. This would be the perfect summer night jam music.

The sound on this album goes back and forth between polished studio work, and unaltered live studio sound.  “Before Destruction” is the first track on the album and it starts off with an almost atonal organ sound.  It blends harmony into the organ, and once the vocals start it fluctuates between an organic sound and a clean produced sound.  Don’t worry, it works, and works well.

Eric Harvey’s keyboards on this album round out the sound and give a unique style to this band from Austin, Texas.  On “Written in Reverse” the keyboards sound like old west saloon meets 50’s rockabilly.  The piano in “Nobody gets me but you,” has turrets spasms played over top of a bass riff that just grooves. It’s unconventional, odd, and down right brilliant.

There are songs on the album that you should take note of.  “Is love forever?” and “Goodnight Laura” are two very good tunes that give two very different moods from each other.  The first is an upbeat bouncing tune that questions how long love can last.  The second is a lullaby accompanied solely by the piano in a raw sound that gives the impression that you are listening to something very intimate and personal.

The whole album, “Transference,” is great, and one that will remain quite enjoyable even after many plays. Definitely worth the investment.  The band has been around since 1993 with a steady following. The release of this album shows that they’ve still got it.