Spoon - They Want My Soul (2014)

i guess Kill the Moonlight was their first album to get pazz'n'jop style ass smooches from day one, though that was cuz enough people'd got on board with GCT

I can't imagine what someone who finds "Everything Hits At Once" too precious must think of, like, "Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine"

I will take "Two Sides..." over "Everything..."

they both rule obv

i really enjoy series of sneaks, never even really play telephono, but even though sneaks is certainly a full-fledged album it seems kind of undeveloped in comparison with the ones that follow. i never really even listen to 'girls' since they still seem like they're not fully themselves yet. people who pick the earlier ones seem to me to want to place the band in some other context than the one they earned by developing a consistent sound of their own.

would probably go transference > fiction > kill = ga > soul > sneaks > girls > telephono at present.

i didn't mean before that the music is kind of wallpapery, or that people use it that way, but that they seem to develop a really intensely personal but obscure and quotidian affection for the records that does seem like it correlates in some way with the cryptic and guarded emotiveness of the songs and the stylishness of the sounds, like the records are destined to be these things from the listeners' lives that move them deeply 10 or 20 years from now without their understanding why at all

people who pick the earlier ones seem to me to want to place the band in some other context than the one they earned by developing a consistent sound of their own.

I'm placing them in the context by which I was introduced to them. At some point, we decided to split up and go different directions. It's cool. Every once in a while I check in to see what they're doing now, and I'll always remember the good times we had early on, but Spoon really isn't a part of my life now.

re: cryptic / guarded nature of their stuff, I think for me a big part of that is the unique mix of generalities and specifics in Daniel's lyrics, like the distinct use of proper names and locations, real or imagined, vs. the occasional plainspoken pronouncement (eg "I'm in need of someone to take care of me tonight"). He's got a good sense of balance, such that I don't think they've ever had an embarrassing set of lyrics. xp

i didn't listen to them early on because i got sick of indie rock around then and they were fashionable, so when i did get around to them it was on my terms xp

people who pick the earlier ones seem to me to want to place the band in some other context than the one they earned by developing a consistent sound of their own

people pick the album they enjoy. If Please Please Me floats your boat more than Sgt Peppers it's not like you owe it to the beatles to respect their desire to have mustaches

when i say Slim Shady LP is my favorite Eminem album because it's the least turgid, its not that i want to place him in some other context than the one he earned by being consistently turgid later

There are definitely some bands I'll go the mat in arguments for because I'm really invested in my own feelings about them. Spoon isn't one. I like the first two albums (and the stray tracks from the same era) and I don't have any attachment to the ones after the first two. If anybody else does, that's great. In fact, it seems like most people do favor the rest of the Spoon catalogue over the first two. I just always chime in to make sure early Spoon isn't entirely overlooked.

it's totally fair to prefer when they were more Doolittle than Glass Houses

damn, they do sound super Doolittle on telephono (listening for first time)

haha yeah i love "don't buy the realistic" but they were asking for all the shit they got by putting such a shameless (if awesome) pixies rip at the beginning of their first album in 1996

closer to Voices than Glass Houses, if only because of Daniel's hair.

I'm a latecomer who only started with 5ga (it's still my favourite) and having only just heard of the divine fits (yeah I live in a cave) I'm stoked I have two new albums to discover, albeit one where they have a guest vocalist and britt decides to channel early 80s synth rock (apologies to dan boeckner for downplaying his contribution for the purposes of weak humour).

hi5(ga)

After a couple of listens I think this is about on a par with Transference, in other words a solid 7/10 containing some of their best songs but also some stuff that doesn't work for me at all (e.g. the one with the whistling). My favourites are Girls Can Tell and Ga Ga etc fwiw.

good Spoon: Telephono, Sneaks, GCT, KTM-ish

boring Spoon: KTM-ish, Fiction, Ga x 5

boring Spoon trying to be good Spoon (with surprisingly decent results): Transference

oasis of awesome in the middle of Boring Spoon Desert: Sisters Jack

ain't heard this new one bc I don't exactly run to hear new Spoon albums anymore

nobody does. they just use spotify.

here would be my order and i'm right ;-)

1. Kill the Moonlight
2. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
3. Gimme Fiction
4. Transference
5. Girls Can Tell
6. They Want My Soul
7. A Series of Sneaks
8. Telephono (own but barely played)

i would rank The Divine Fits album forth overall.

btw, any ilxor's going to the Hollywood show on Friday? i will be there, as you probably know by this thread.

Gimmie Fiction
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
They Want My Soul (It could be three or four, but I'm enjoying it on first listen much more then I did Tranference.)
Transference
Girls Can Tell
Kill the Moonlight
Telephono
A Series of Snakes

Since everyone's doing it, Kill the Moonlight and Transference are my favorites. I think I like studio fuckery Spoon. Then I think I like Series of Sneaks? I found GGGGG and Gimme Fiction to be sorta dull

GF has plenty of studio fakery!

and fuckery

Fiction/Moonlight/Girls > GaGa/Sneaks >> Telefono >>> Transference

Love this band. Haven't heard the new one yet, but am hopeful!

GGGGG > Girls > Moonlight > Transference > GF > Series of Sneaks

I'm listening to the new one right now and there are a lot of classic Spoon-y tracks, not sure how it ranks yet.

Oh excellent we've devolved into ranking Spoon albums again.

Eat is definitely the best thing they've ever done. I'm totally loving "Love Laboratory." Thought this band would never really hit on a new sound, but I was wrong.

Just realized: 8 albums in, & this is the first time they've done a title track!

Xp lol

when i say Slim Shady LP is my favorite Eminem album because it's the least turgid, its not that i want to place him in some other context than the one he earned by being consistently turgid later

― da croupier

this is the first time they've done a title track!

and it's my favorite on this lp

I'm in love with "Inside Out"—the rippling synth harp reminds of Final Fantasy*, in the best possible way

* the games, not the old moniker of Owen Pallett

Yeah that's my fave track too.

Reminds me of "Who Makes Your Money" but that's their best song from the last few albums so fair enough.

yeah some vibe in those two songs but who makes your money is maybe my fave spoon song ever

They do "trippy" sonics v.well, when they want to.

Is there anything on the Divine Fits album in that same vein?

(Go ahead & "Paper Tiger", the 'original' lightly-psychedelic Spoon groove)

"The Salton Sea" is on the groovier end of that axis.

Bought this yesterday & haven't properly listened to it (sober, that is) but first impressions are excellent. "I Just Don't Understand" seems very much of a piece with their (Britt's? I can't remember) cover of "Bring It On Home To Me".

i'm (irrationally) annoyed that after laffitte etc. they still left merge for a pseudo-major

sounds cool on initial listening, tho, if busier than i'd have expected. i guess more band members does generally imply more space filled in

lovvveee this album. especially tracks 2,3,4,6,7,10.
TWMS> KtM >etc etc etc they're all good.
they're the only cool indie rock band

listening to 'do you' and man this band still makes me so happy 10 years later

yeah this album is great

Wish I liked it as much as you guys. I like it fine, but after six or seven spins I'm starting to think this isn't the "grower" Transference was. I think this is the first Spoon album where I don't love a single song. The songs are fine, but not really inspiring a lot of repeat plays for me. "Inside Out" comes closest, but then, it's also the sort of song I could imagine fitting p comfortably on a latter-day Black Keys album.

yet another fine Spoon record.

no more no less.

phew, guess we can stop talking about it now then

I think this is the first Spoon album where I don't love a single song. The songs are fine, but not really inspiring a lot of repeat plays for me. "Inside Out" comes closest

This is generally my perspective too. Lots of pretty good songs, one very good song (Inside Out), no excellent songs.