Spoon - Transference
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Free Music Notes for Transference
Free Music Review: Very different Spoon album... probably needs to grow on you.
Hit: 3 Stars
First off I recommend people read Lee L.'s review. It's right on. However, At this point I'd only rate it a 3, not a 5. I've only listened to this album twice and I find many of the songs inaccessible and not as melodic as on other Spoon albums. Another reviewer described the "tricks" in this album as contrived and they sound like it, with some songs just ending abruptly even in mid-lyric and other oddities like instrumentation being cut off unnaturally without letting the notes decay as you'd expect. The experimentation going on here can get annoying especially if you're used to other Spoon albums. I'm a big spoon fan and have these albums which I prefer in this order: Girls can Tell, Gimme Fiction, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, and Kill the Moonlight. If you've never had a Spoon album start with one of those. I'll persist in listening to this album and I hope it grows on me! I can already say that the back half of the album is more listenable than the front.Free Music Review: Spoon - Transference
Hit: 3 Stars
Throughout their career, Spoon have been one of the indie darlings of Austin. As their albums have come and gone, the band has worked to hone and tighten their sound, constantly cutting away layer after layer of instrumentation and melody to get the simplest groove they possibly can. They certainly hit their apex with Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga in terms of honing that sound, but for me, that album tried a little too hard to have no melody. Transference is certainly a step backwards from the sound of Ga x5, and more like the superior Gimme Fiction, but unlike Gimme Fiction, Transference lacks truly great songwriting and melodic design. Another solid album in the Spoon catalogue, but I don't think this is the evolution that Spoon fans were hoping for.Free Music Review: Not bad but doesn't measure up to most previous records
Hit: 3 Stars
I'm not sure if it's the songs, production, and/or sequencing but I don't think Transference measures up with Spoon's previous output. I've been a long-time fan of Spoon and have given Transference multiple listens but it's not one that I'll think to put on when I need a good dose of their music. Still, there are some tracks that I really enjoy including "The Mystery Zone", "I Saw The Light", "Out Go The Lights", and "Got Nuffin".Free Music Review: Comfortably sailing
Hit: 3 Stars
3 1/2
Another beneficial serving in a notable streak of sorts finds the easygoing but deceptively taut indie rockers sticking to their lo-fi formula of intelligent, catchy excellence mixed with a weaker second side (aside a brilliantly edited conclusion).
Free Music Review: Not everyone can produce themselves...
Hit: 2 Stars
...and Spoon falls into that category. After hearing a couple of rave reviews on NPR, I thought I'd give "Transference" a spin, but it's quite a disappointment. Most of the songs go from point A to point A, taking minimalism to its most boring extremes. There are precious few hooks in the songs, and those tend to be driven into the ground by repetition.
The sound of the recording is also a problem. It's my understanding that a lot of these tracks are based on band demo recordings, and are intended to have a rougher feel. Unfortunately, these songs don't have a punkish immediacy, but just a sense they were tossed off hastily, and never completely finished. The production sounds cheap, not raw.
Finally, the songwriting is good but not great, which is highlighted by the fact that there's not much going on, musically or sonically. Demos by pop masters like Lennon and McCartney are vibrant because the the underlying songs are so darn good. The tunes on "Transference" are good, but not good enough to make up for the shortcomings of the recordings.
Next time, let's hope the band seeks out an outside producer...