Spoon - Hot Thoughts

http://exclaim.ca/images/spoon_4.jpg

Hot Thoughts is the upcoming ninth studio album by the band Spoon. It will be released on March 17, 2017, through Matador Records and is their first album to be released on the label since their 1996 debut album, Telephono.

1 Hot Thoughts
2 WhisperI’lllistentohearit
3 Do I Have to Talk You Into It
4 First Caress
5 Pink Up
6 Can I Sit Next to You
7 I Ain’t the One
8 Tear It Down
9 Shotgun
10 Us

https://youtu.be/D6KFBFg5q1Y

that is different for them, not sure what i think.

don't think i've ever failed to like a spoon album even when i thought i was going to

this track sounds great tho

i suppose he probably has but this makes me wonder if daniel had ever harmonized w/ himself on a record before, the effect is so pronounced

I like the sounds and the mood of it well enough, but there doesn't seem to be much of an actual song there. Seems like an odd opener for a Spoon record. It took me ages to warm up to They Want My Soul, though.

I like the sounds and the mood of it well enough, but there doesn't seem to be much of an actual song there.

Sounds like business as usual then.

J/k, but it doesn't sound like a great departure from the less complicated pop of their last album, which is fine with me.

Ooooh.

Wasn't sure about that new song on the first listen, three more listens and I like it a lot. Can't wait for the new album, I love this band.

I love this.

^^^^

I like it but still with the Fridmann.

I was listening to the title track when I saw this thread. I've never paid much attention to Spoon. This is okay. I could probably get to like it.

This delivers pretty much exactly what I was expecting from a Spoon song called "Hot Thoughts" and I am not complaining.

I like it but still with the Fridmann.

Indeed. Wish they'd go back to producing their records like they did with Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, which is one of my favourite sounding recordings of the last 20 years.

I didn't really listen to the last record as a sort of irrational personal protest, because I was tired of bands breaking up or going on hiatus for basically as long as many bands take between albums anyway. But I'm listening now, and it's pretty good, so I'm looking forward to the new one, even if I agree that (Jim)Eno/Britt/McCarthy was a great production team.

indeed. Wish they'd go back to producing their records like they did with Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, which is one of my favourite sounding recordings of the last 20 years.

― Steve Reich In The Afternoon (Against The 80s), Wednesday, January 18, 2017 11:43 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

+1

they haven't changed much at all!

i think the production on kill the moonlight is more interesting tbh

i have grown to love this song now. it threw me off guard at first but after three spins i'm into it.

I didn't really listen to the last record as a sort of irrational personal protest, because I was tired of bands breaking up or going on hiatus for basically as long as many bands take between albums anyway.

They Want My Soul is top tier Spoon, really another classic in their cannon. might be my third favorite of theirs now. realized this when i ran the Spoon poll a bit back. it sneaks up on you and hits you over the head unlike the album before did.

They Want My Soul has become an inextricable part of my life. The title track, "New York Kicks," "Knock Knock Knock" -- permanent rotation at the student radio station I advise.

i never heard anything about them splitting up or even suggesting it. last album is their best after Girls Can Tell for me.

At one point I think Britt had talked about doing a solo album, but then Divine Fits ended up happening. Also the song that's inextricably part of your life is titled "New York Kiss."

You know what's inextricably part of my life? Auto Correct on my phone.

indeed. Wish they'd go back to producing their records like they did with Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, which is one of my favourite sounding recordings of the last 20 years.

― Steve Reich In The Afternoon (Against The 80s), Wednesday, January 18, 2017 11:43 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

+1

― Wimmels, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 18:29 (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

+2

this song is great

Spoon continue to rule. Fucking love the production on this.

Tour:

Date Venue Location

Mar 06 The Observatory Santa Ana, CA
Mar 14 The Main (SXSW Residency) Austin, TX
Mar 15 The Main (SXSW Residency) Austin, TX
Mar 16 The Main (SXSW Residency) Austin, TX
Jun 27 Gorilla Manchester, United Kingdom
Jun 28 The Arts School Glasgow, United Kingdom
Jun 30 O2 Forum London, United Kingdom
Jul 07 Mad Cool Festival Madrid, Spain
Jul 14 Forecastle Louisville, KY
Jul 15 Sloss Festival Birmingham, AL
Jul 28 Panorama Festival New York, NY

i'm going to go to the Santa Ana show and their first date, so excited! will pick up tickets on Friday when they go on sale.

this is very very good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_yJYNF_Qas

it's "can i sit next to you"

The beginning sounds like "Down on the Corner."

am i insane or do both of the new songs released so far have a vague disco influence

there's one figure in there that's v. much Lament by the Cure.

in Hot Thoughts, that is.

I haven't heard note one - waiting for the album to come out so I can experience it as a whole. (Which is my M.O. for almost every record these days.)

I don't know Lament but totally re: Cure, it really sticks out

holy fuck is that good. i'm loving this direction, i really suites them.

or it...

So far their last album had more range and hooks but I'm still feeling this. Feels like it expands in a natural way from Spoon's emphasis on rigid grooves. Let's hear a whole record of "I Turn My Camera On"!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3ajys7s9NKdoezgAIUJkvnC_4hCOAhWaJ197DPIfZszh61M7gCr3Ge_FokjSrBIVXUMqlUIQ9K_EaHErf-TbHZiMyqsaTB_eabVB5qtUP5CUccMH192PUqVwqAlU-VXLQJwqC344HahhgaU0zix64j9rMy9xTcMkIZDS5rXzW2FHHbyHttfLCYtt3aorNcPSYetiW2kB_pOOrVkWIniiU2BhM27hwB4t1Tqbx3MdXRHLcQM2q2CgHV241xaxi_m9fWyaoGNh-niFsv9vYwTSBXyhJCehjgqJBgA3-EajgO_6A5zcdOyuUzD_i-_gFqC-S9Pl2cF5HdQL-ohzXzZ3TF6-cil89FT0ibi-Tv1_5x-cSePb7MRmhv9c8zJcxmtdtdQe7pwj5okuaxiUZK3hcfFteoH1DclUZ70kf4AmSPjz80Gwa3XPpWPyWW2UpnCwTvfiINQxHTLfNK4T_GUeNp-9VJzipOM7FvkT7bqvvrOlil-8KjRtRcfOXWBRwhiE7fYQ5Nr0sAl809Bhm9OxQ1JlxzM_aTRAld9cCCZvqMkc5Py2gjo8VdNJgwfE0ZJse-jx3CZ4GpHMFKpQEQYJ2V5wHd3L7-USb71IFZEkZU_XVyriKequ=w535-h950-no

let's try this again:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kg0afHzhdgMj2sxxN4F2SnbEVVJd91MEx31KFGKiTAAMKc4bTVue6eVMkWDkDwn4kTbA9ofQFB855VhBwBJBpqYDEwBWGMJAtzDJT53ny9VsLLzJsrdL8IzbIlbCOizBOBNZudjBfwkh1xET2xg2O9-dqm0nveTKMMaWBwjRqpXGKhypQp2MBMzYZc6_esttbnZvehhWOGnvIFWCy-1Neusr68vzci9saOpWMLE47XLn_nBcccDEDBqCS0TrsuC6sAzr66htTvqUTLdyDMcC9l8lfCW2tvkRR8hLsmJd2WtdlDOVkf9URgU8gFOgx1rlmzxV22bwNlV4TLxSblaX0izbwZar-51WvkkqAoOofCRPPBw5GQdKWnWU_k4aoeplCjsgvwKoznuvm9tJf9o-lmvHQJmcIux5AuJZP_2yLOXQHVIT53ZUZHQkpf7IvDGrEyM5HXfzkMuNGGGqwjUMEjEopPVTh5Uql01Eqi14prnGOM17dEEFb8LQys_-iMzwlQcA2Pe8RYtekMjEuDawwSUi5u0x9k9YWrG8cQdaE1klgQ5UFBDsZTmHsWzlX2SpNTgE3TDqNiYGEAlOmUzvNV8nAN74IDdSUEpVcQNSNF65SOtKhihawaFig23J4SrtZ-WwkfmAXv6jjmFofneIwpdCi5OVEoy-uFZuLq8pYA=w535-h950-no

on my way, so excited!

"can i sit next to you" is fuckin great. they're still so great at deploying sound

1. Do I Have to Talk You Into It
2. Hot Thoughts
3. Inside Out
4. I Turn My Camera On
5. The Beast and Dragon, Adored
6. I Saw the Light
7. Don't You Evah
8. The Underdog
9. Black Like Me
10. Small Stakes
11. My Mathematical Mind
12. Can I Sit Next To You?
13. Do You
14. Got Nuffin
15. Rent I Pay

Encore:

16. I Ain't the One
17. Rainy Taxi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4MSdqpZxqM

nice setlist!

Daniel has become expert at that kind of ugly strummed noise

the concert was unbelievable fun. my friend and i kept saying just when you think this can't get any better then they play a song that was even more epic then the one before. all the new songs are 10/10, well maybe not the new encore song as it was a bit mellow. the first song of the night was brand new to everyone there and it didn't disappoint. in fact i figured it would be the last song on the new album, turns out it will be the third song. "Rainy Taxi" was such a great way to end the night, so euphoric.

go if they come to town, a band at the top of their game.

their current tour isn't hitting boston, i'm bummed

I Saw the Light is such a great song, I'd love to see Spoon live again but a trip to London just to see a band is out of the question for me atm

i think this is my favorite song they've ever done

SPOON TACO

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17202762_10155023912209174_4488765574343837054_n.jpg?oh=b29944a06fecdd32db943fea5e4628af&oe=592893D0

egg over hard, gtfo

gtfi my belly

i see that taco is in Austin only.

so this has just been announced:

Belle and Sebastian • Spoon at the Hollywood Bowl

Sunday, August 6, 2017 - 7:00pm

Belle and Sebastian

Spoon

Additional artist to be announced for KCRW's World Festival 2

i have to actually go to this don't i?

Let's hear a whole record of "I Turn My Camera On"!

― yesca, Saturday, February 25, 2017 7:20 AM (one week ago)

haven't heard a spoon in ages, but this has me temptered. scale of 1-10, how disappointed will i be?

Spoon have gone New Order (read as dance), would be how i describe it on my very few listens of the new songs. after seeing them live, the songs are still quintessential Spoon. i don't think they have had a misstep yet. but this sounds like it could be one of their bests.

i also thought it was coming out on Friday but turns it's a week from Friday. Same night i'm seeing Teenage Fanclub.

it's great to be me right now!

aaaahh hearing can I sit next to you and reading bee ok's post is totally making me book the london show!

There are few artists--much less rock artists--whose announcement of a new release makes me giddy, but Spoon fits the bill. Title track / single sounds great.

I am actually anticipating a new release, guys! It feels good!! I plan to go old school with this one: gonna show up to the record store right when they open next Friday, and then spend the afternoon driving around listening to this

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/03/sxsw-2017-day-1-photos-and-recap.html

Seeing Spoon play in Austin is a rite of passage of sorts. Aside from Willie Nelson, there’s hardly a more ubiquitous Austin act these days than this four-piece fronted by Britt Daniel. Tuesday’s 1am set at The Main—formerly “old” Emo’s Austin, and unofficially re-named “Eno’s Austin” for a 3-day SXSW Spoon residency, after current drummer and founding member, Jim Eno—was an epic kick-off for many attending the music portion of the festival.

Daniel’s live delivery could easily be mistaken for a studio recording; his voice is uncanny and he masterfully lost himself in tracks from Spoon’s eight album discography (“Don’t you Evah”!), equally as much as he did in tracks from the band’s ninth studio album, Hot Thoughts (out this Friday via Matador.) While 2014’s They Want My Soul, was often spectacular, it still had an aura of experimentation, and seeing the band enact the new material on stage felt like Spoon has now fine-tuned those experiments into a fully-formed sound that could only belong to them.

South by Southwest was the best place to enact these new concepts, especially in front of a hometown crowd. The band seemed to exude a certain comfort in letting loose in front of a familiar locale, in a seemingly controlled environment. While their curated set of openers, in A Giant Dog and New Pornographers, can easily serve as the peak of a crowd’s attention for the evening, Tuesday night was all about Spoon beginning to unleash Hot Thoughts to the world, in Austin’s buzziest week. To be able to do that in an environment where every detail was exactly as Spoon had planned out, is a powerful place to be as a band, especially when they’ve been one of the tightest, most well-executed acts in independent rock and roll for more than 20 years.

i'm so ready for this!

I see from the setlist above they have abjured the ilx poll winner (and the #2). Hope they don't change it around too much, seeing them in june and would love to get 'i saw the light' and 'do you'.

i like this album quite a bit

Jim Eno’s swaggering drums

It takes a certain kind of 45-year-old frontman to sing the phrase “knock knock” and still sound at least moderately cool, not like some phony in his first pair of Ray-Bans.

a toe-tapping tune about one of those ghosts that linger in Daniel’s head

do better, Pitchfork

also, so so tired of the "this song sounds like this popular band, while this song sounds like this popular indie band; meanwhile, this song sounds like this popular band" school of music criticism

i know what i'm listening to on my way to work today.

Wow, only made it through side one but blown away. How are they this good nine albums in? Most bands die out or just go through the motions.

I don't buy music anymore but going to buy this.

On first listen I'm not enjoying this as much as 'They Want My Soul' but it's good. TWMS is just a big FM Radio drive thing with tons of hooks where this is far more groove focused.

What a great band. I've never seen them live - need to correct that.

I've only seen them live once, London in early 2010 (reasonably sure I saw ithappens in the crowd), and they were v good. I'd see them again at the drop of a hat if they came with 100 miles.

Looking forward to buying this on the way home, too, obviously.

"I Ain't the One" is a good variation on a familiar Britt Daniel trope: don't touch me. More creepy electric piano and drum machine blues, plz.

More creepy electric piano and drum machine blues, plz.

This. Every time Spoon go down this road the results are great. 'Kill the Moonlight', arguably the quintessential Spoon record, is all over this theme. I love a lot of their output but that album has a very specific approach to empty space and keyboard bits, and in my mind it is the Spoon sound most realized.

Doesn't the bass in "Shotgun" remind anyone of 'At Home He Feels Like a Tourist"?

^^ this album is very kill the moonlight

xp

was really hoping first caress is a companion piece to last caress, but its not =(

I don't care for the closing instrumental -- yet.

Shotgun sound more like "I was made for loving you" than Go4 to me.

haha -- true, 'cept Daniel would never stoop so low as to think he was made to love anyone. His schtick is to question the idea of desire.

On first listen the first half of this album is OK but the second half is great.

The chord progression in 'I Ain't the One' sounds naggingly familiar, I'm thinking '70s pop like ABBA or the Carpenters or someone.

Very keen on this after brief exposure, much more so than the last one.

this is pretty good - it's less immediate which makes me think of Transference but it's got a lot more range than that one. Transference ended up being one of my favorites but it took quite a while

"tear it down" is my favorite one that i hadn't heard already. reminds me strongly of something but i can't place it

I think this is great, can't really remember the last one.

https://instagram.com/p/BRvwuSGDbeb/

i had a day today but was able to listen to the second half once. this album is going to be fun to discover. two instrumentals is so strange though.

who plays the saxamaphones on 'us'?

i don't think i even bothered to listen to the last spoon album, but i had a go at this while at work on friday and it was kinda fun! "first caress" was a banger

Really liking this one on first listen, could see it becoming one of my favorites.

TWMS was the first one I never quite grew to love (Transference didn't click with me initially, but, similar to ciderpress' experience, when it did, it really did). This one's really immediate compared to the past few, without forsaking the ear candy that I know will reveal itself over repeat headphone listens.

I have so little time for rock music these days, but Spoon is one of the few bands I always make time for, mostly because their albums consistently reward this kinda loyalty. It's also why I buy their albums without needing to hear them first; there is sure to always be at least a few tracks I'll enjoy enough to want to own.

On first listen the first half of this album is OK but the second half is great

I think after one listen I feel exactly the opposite!

Then again, one listen isn't really enough to say for sure...

and I think if the album has a dud, it's "Shotgun," which takes me back to that one summer you couldn't escape "Float On" no matter where you went

I forget what a wasteland this place in on the weekends. I wanna talk about this record!!!

"us" is great, spoon going full manhunter soundtrack

yeah if anything it's too short

I'm ot as high on it as I was yesterday -- the side closers drag and a couple other ideas don't work -- but Spoon albums take me a week to gestate.

Disagree about "Pink Up" dragging, one of the highlights of the record for me

yeah 'can i sit next to you' and 'tear it down' tower over the rest of this record for me but its still solid

On first preview, I S'd (ie. DLed) "Us" / D'd the rest of the album (as personal taste context, Transference was my favourite of theirs as a whole record, while "Inside Out" was only track on They Want My Soul that I cared for at all)

Just had a first listen. Best new album I've heard this year. Seems designed around the vinyl sides, with tracks 1-5 being a great mini-album, then #6 starts it up again with a slightly different sound.

Serious question: has this band ever made an album that was too long? Maybe A Series of Sneaks, but even the filler on that one has its charms... and I'm sure people will think I'm crazy for this, but the back half of Gimme Fiction (after "I Summon You") can be hard to sit through. Apart from that, though, some of the most consistent quality control of any band with their longevity.

^^^ totally agree with this (except maybe the part about Gimme Fiction, but even there you may be right)

also, most albums are too long

i went to Best Buy last night to look at some soundbars, mine has lost its bass speaker. will probably buy my new one on-line and not get at Best Buy. while i was there i saw this CD on sale for $8.99. i made an impulse buy and bought it. i think this is the first CD i bought in three years.

Have you just been downloading / streaming?

series of sneaks is their shortest album (it's also my favorite). haven't listened to them in a long time, but i remember the back halves of both girls can tell and kill the moonlight as slogs.

also telephono is their only album i have on lp and side a is great and side b is totally skippable.

kill the moonlight back half is a grower iirc. the last track is kind of perfect

gimme fiction is the one where i skip the back half, the first 4 tracks are fantastic and then it just kinda coasts other than 'i summon you'

GF is my favorite, in no small part thanks to "They Never Get You," which could go on forever.

so are we saying that general rule of thumb is that Spoon albums are generally front-loaded? Is there an album of theirs where side B wins? Obviously Gavin upthread says he likes side B of Hot Thoughts better, but imo the two weakest tracks on Hot Thoughts (and the only weak tracks on the album afaic) are the last two

Just looking over the discography and whoa I think we're into something here. I can't really even remember what a lot of these side 2 songs sound like. Definitely true of Transference. Even my favorite (Gax5), in retrospect, sorta sputters out toward the very end

not sure if i like the latter half better, but I find Transference and TWMS to be pretty even, front and back.

i think Gax5 and transference are even & hot thoughts i prefer the back half

Two of their best songs are the last two on Gax5. A Series of Sneaks and Transference are solid all the way through.

transference has "out go the lights" -> "got nuffin" toward the end which are A+

Yeah, this theory is nonsense.

but the back half of Gimme Fiction (after "I Summon You") can be hard to sit through

i remember the back halves of both girls can tell and kill the moonlight as slogs

also telephono is their only album i have on lp and side a is great and side b is totally skippable.

kill the moonlight back half is a grower iirc

gimme fiction is the one where i skip the back half, the first 4 tracks are fantastic and then it just kinda coasts other than 'i summon you'

some opinions suggest otherwise

the b-side of ga ga is killer imo

Yeah man, The Underdog and Finer Feelings alone cement it as excellent, it it finishes with Black Like Me.

Likewise Kill The Moonlight has Don't Let It Get You Down, Back to The Life AND Vittorio E. all of which are faultless.

Second half of Gimme Fiction is all about the minimal, repetitive grooves.

What they often seem to do is load the front half with really quick, catchy pop songs, and then stretch out a bit on the second half, slow down, explore a bit more in terms of tone and mood.

This is a *really* good record, isn't it? Love the less immediate stuff like WhisperI'lllistentohearit and Pink Up. I think this is my favourite Spoon since Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

Only thing it lacks for me is a 'traditional' Spoon album closer. Most of their records end on a track that makes me want to immediately play the whole thing over again, whereas Us isn't quite doing it for me yet.

Spoon records are so good for driving to ...

'back to the life' has some of my favorite production touches of anything they've done

I think this is my favourite Spoon since Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

me too

sleeper hit on here for me is "Pink Up"

looking at the vinyl tracklisting for Transference, "Written In Reverse" or "Trouble Comes Running" seems like an obvious choice to kick off the B-side, that I'm having a hard time believing they went with "I Saw the Light" from anything other than sheer laziness (keeping the track order the same for the CD & LP)

the tracklisting of that album in general is just nutty: "Before Destruction" throws me off-kilter like opening the door and walking into a scene where the action is already underway. "Goodnight Laura" practically screams "closing number" but it's nowhere near the end... and I still don't know what to make of them burying the album's best song, "Got Nuffin", at the number-ten slot. (maybe the whole thing, I'm realizing now as I describe it, maps onto the structure of a live show w/ encore ?)

(sorry this was an xpost to the conversation upthread about whether Transference has a weak second side, to which I say: not on your life, pal!)

"I Saw The Light" is a fine side-opener imo

It's too early for me to tell how I feel about this new record as a whole -- to the extent I've been listening to it, I've mostly done so in bits and pieces while walking around. Having great opening tracks either side, and releasing 'em both ahead of the album so they had time to get their hooks in, makes it easy to listen on repeat while I work my way into the heavier grooves ("Do I Have To Talk You Into It", "Tear It Down")

xp to me the song feels like a side-ender... tbh I am mostly judging it in terms of the times I have almost fallen asleep during the extended jammy outro & then when "Trouble" hits I jump up like "aw yeah, right, we' rocking, isn't we!?"

actually now I'm re-listening, the decision to strip "I Saw The Light" down to a lo-fi home-recorded demo aesthetic at the very end (for ~10 seconds), then begin "Trouble Comes Running" with a similarly isolated and thin-sounding guitar part, is kind of brilliant

I feel like Spoon deconstruct "bandness" in a way I don't know anyone else has done. They show their workings within the songs.

yeah that's a level of their work that I didn't appreciate until fairly recently -- they don't hit you over the head with it like, idk, Todd Rundgren on Something/Anything

Have you just been downloading / streaming?

yes, i was using the free Spotify but have been paying $10 for awhile now. i figured $10 is way less than i used to spend per month on CDs.

on initial listen this feels like a descendent of kill the moonlight in terms of its deconstructionist tendencies. seems like a good record. i don't mind "us" but it does break a long streak of killer closing tracks (like, back to telephono long)

xp I'm sure indie rock appreciates your generous support

i remember the old music critic description of spoon circa kill the moonlight was that their songs were jenga towers where they tried to strip out as much as possible without them collapsing into nothing. they're not quite that minimalist anymore but i think some sort of architectural metaphor still works

Am I alone in thinking this is the worst Spoon album in a long time? That being said it's certainly not bad, but "WhisperI'lllistentohearit" sounds like a bad Cult song and half the album seems well below par in terms of hooks.

Hmm, I actually hear the Cult thing but that doesn't diminish my love for that song, it's one of my favorites. It reminds me of Dwight Twilley or something (once it kicks in)

Overall, not a hook-y album, this is also true. But hooks are not why I buy Spoon albums

hooks are why i buy spoon albums

but this one has just enough

I can't believe people aren't losing their shit over "Pink Up," which sounds like Tortoise and Mellow Gold-era Beck getting together to try to make Kid A

Wimmels perfectly describes why I'm not feeling this album.

Wimmels your Twilley comparison has me intrigued though I'll listen again with that in mind.

I'm hearing fuckloads of hooks in this, especially on those first four tracks. Jesus. They're like a velcro prom dress. They're just mostly rhythmic and riff-based rather then vocal.

Am I alone in thinking this is the worst Spoon album in a long time? That being said it's certainly not bad, but "WhisperI'lllistentohearit" sounds like a bad Cult song and half the album seems well below par in terms of hooks.

― DavidLeeRoth, Wednesday, March 22, 2017 9:36 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i couldn't get into it but i've only listened once. i think maybe it's too fridmann-y

I thought the last one was too Fridmann-y, but that this one pulls back from there. I wasn't keen on TWMS, and would still rank it below everything else since KTM.

GF, GA(x5), and Transference are miles better than the last two albums. The last album had a few better stand alone tunes, but didn't sound very cohesive which is not surprising knowing that they worked with two different producers. Hot Thoughts sounds more like an album, but the tunes just don't stand out to me. I will say the song "Hot Thoughts" is one of my favorite things they've ever done.

i find it hard to believe daniel's ability to write a hooky tune will ever wither, so the new one just seems to me like a deliberate effort to write a certain kind of album. i like at least a few tunes on 'soul' way better than anything on this one, yet i find i've already played the new one ~40 times. it has a very compelling arc to it.

this is good but the drum sounds are kinda driving me nuts fucking flaming lips ruined drums forever

I love all Spoon albums, including this one so far. BUT the run from Kill the Moonlight to Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (give or take the albums bookending that run) are rarefied air. This album and the last one are good but feel less essential to me. I haven't felt a desire to go back to the last one in quite some time.

Starting to think of this band in comparison with Clinic. Pretty much same number of albums, same issues with building blocks, how to modify their sound, production, how to progress artistically, etc. I liked Free Reign II better than anything Spoon has done recently, which might be a good indication of where I'd like them to go.

that is frankly bizarre. spoon's success with those things over an extended period has become the defining feature of the band.

Is Transference a break-up album?

I think its the sound of the band breaking up more than a relationship Britt was having, but I could be wrong.

Not getting into this album, feel a bit turned off by the obviousness of the titles and choruses. Where are the beasts and dragons, the monsieur valentines, the sister jacks and japanese cigarette cases? Have they strayed too far from the mystery zone?

i forgot how well executed My Mathematical Mind is - they ride on that single chord for a full 3 minutes until when it finally resolves in the final bars it feels like total collapse

Pink Up is Sex & The Church from The Buddha Of Suburbia and I claim my £5.

I've nursed a theory for a while that Spoon alternate between a sort of extroverted and introverted mode from album to album

so Telephono, Girls Can Tell, Gimme Fiction, and Transference are introverted mode - somewhat darker tonally or nocturnal in vibe, more abstract and atmospheric, and (recently) more defined by groove-oriented compositions

and Series of Sneaks, Kill the Moonlight, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, They Want My Soul are extroverted mode - on the whole more kinetic, brighter, less moody, more immediate songwriting and production

I'm not saying there's like a night and day difference between the two but I think there is something there in terms of general impression. And I think Hot Thoughts continues the trend, though it is maybe more of a synthesis than its immediate predecessors which I thought made the difference especially stark.

they've been working on a plan

this sounds like their best album since Gimme Fiction so far.

I often make the mistake of thinking of Spoon as a meat'n'potatoes indie rock band whose songwriting manages to elevate them above roteness. But I put this on and started doing some work, and there are textures and sounds in here that made me think 'Oh what is this I'm listening to? Is it house music?' or whatever...

Their production, especially since Kill The Moonlight, is fabulous. Even just their meat'n'potatoes stuff. The textures they get out of drums and guitars shame most other indie bands.

"I Ain't The One" is "Editions Of You" re-imagined by Coldplay

here are textures and sounds in here that made me think 'Oh what is this I'm listening to? Is it house music?' or whatever...

― Lennon, Elvis, Hendrix etc (dog latin), Monday, March 27, 2017 10:16 AM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this exactly. Also why I really, really love "Pink Up."

debut at number 17.

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga debuted at number 10. Get to work folks! Even thought it's far from my favorite Spoon album there's not 17 better new albums than this one.

that's a fall off from previous peaks. Check out the last two.

first Spoon album released since billboard started counting streaming right?

Damn the last two were both top four! Is Matador dropping the ball? This album got great reviews!

This album is great.

Not surprised by the lower entry - this album is more groove, less pop. The last album had "Do You" which is pretty much the most catchy pop thing they've ever done. In another era that would have been a top ten single to rival the best of them.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5nhjeBTn-whwI_YmOMqPeOqfbxDwRRAFl4zhkLPUNbK_0L07ucMDH3UrxVw3mr9gKzwukMJLdjzBAiXpnJ2sKHMIUggpY0Tt191oU39WCtJoWTv0P4qT-9-4jCtGmN5FdpWPT03qFZ-OBiCCsMbs_iTs-mcpKtDTwMgxq9L9h7DBA_UqG9fPPf3KYGPzetJJH03mkExMdZUP9VdIKU6b7rFhXmlZoYBpcdIZK1b-cuFCsINTVn-oMjc9XKYwm5dPlrLMfceiaBDttXI-vHwvpH5gxKSmutvreRUn0CiiM_b2-O8ZfqoDwc936sedNw53A80MdQUZc-_-g_nz0yD7b0aXVSZpw4KoiPRgTYDNlIW2ZRvzoU-KRo85EsAk4agm4rHZ6wv1qA0lM5HFhcEJ6VCx4lrO3lZRvPv6b8atwIVix4pIOaBn-lyD1vC3qIWa87pPv4NS2uhWL6Ae0lcEpkEuDAzh7BLb4CmxyKMmKeEjLAXVaVUmE0-3WPHSKUxa8DaDbsxUkIEsskelBbwBWafdQeK34V_rt7smAVK-fuEA-eZRViRadDm6Km6hxZKD_GEKcoiB1HUnMVraDql20q4B2TW-1ppQ5mH4RwhTvtUPVSuoqDwAnkY6d_Lig_1HV2srn0ox-Jw3kYtp0anCvMydMP1DpZaSb9s=w1689-h950-no

excited, thou it's about 100 miles away and need to work the next morning.

so i might actually only see Spoon.

I'll never complain about having to go 30 miles to Bristol to see a band ever again

Pre-kids an 180-mile round trip to Bristol for gigs was common for us. Next week and the week after we're doing two over-nighters (London and Manchester) to see The National and Grizzly Bear.

Yeah same, trips to London and back the same night weren't uncommon pre-kids. Come to think of it I think the last time we went to London to see a band was Spoon in Camden.

2010? Or was it v early 2011? We were there!

I know you were, it was mentioned on another Spoon thread. It was 2010, our son was very young and we left him at the in-laws while we went to the gig.

Feels like another life.

I've played this Spoon album more than any since GF.

Yeah? I liked it quicker than any of the last few but don't feel like it's had the growing power that Transference or even They Want My Soul had. I probably need to revisit it though; I feel like I 'get' each Spoon album a lot more when the next one comes out, if that makes sense? ie. I liked Transference quite a bit from the off, but when TWMS came out I went back to it and was like 'oh wow this is amazing'.

i think i'm with Monthy with this one. They Want My Soul has turned into one of Spoon's classic albums. their run from Girl Can Tell to TWMS is probably unmatched in rock today. i do really like this one but doesn't have the same impact those albums do, it feels more like a singles album for them. don't get me wrong, it's still really good just not up to Spoon standards.

Transference is the vaporous one to my ears. I love TWMS.

Wasn't crazy about Transference at first but it grew on me. I've never felt drawn back to TWMS and the new one has not stuck. I like all Spoon albums but I'm sad to say they feel somewhat less essential lately.

Transference I liked a great deal but I overplayed it, burned myself out on it.

TWMS always seemed...incomplete to me, like it was missing a chromosome; abrupt, as though there was a more fulsome version of the LP 10 minutes longer that was sanded down past the quick.

Hot Thoughts I'm really loving, even as it's a mystery I'm still solving.

(I still need to really explore/absorb their earliest records.)

Transference was a disappointment to me following Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, and still is really. Probably my least favourite Spoon.

TWMS seemed pretty throwaway on first listen and I didn't give it a fair shot; I've since gone back to it and love it now.

Hot Thoughts feels like a classic already.

I love Transference, I'd probably put it in my top 3 Spoon albums. I love Hot Thoughts a lot when I'm playing it but I struggle to remember how most of the songs go when I'm not. Like I can look at the tracklisting for any other album and know the songs straight away but not with HT.

Ha. That's me and Transference.

^^^ Yep, me too.

Listening to Transference now, and I'll admit there's more good stuff on here than I give it credit for. I think some of the production quirks just annoy me a bit. Last track's a belter though ...

There’s at least 5 songs on Transference that I’d count amongst their best.

yup

(these five:

I Saw the Light
Is Love Forever?
Who Makes Your Money
Trouble Comes Running
Got Nuffin)

Written In Reverse
Out Go The Lights
Goodnight Laura

All also great.

Transference is like a hangover after Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, like clearing up the party and feeling that pang of hollow loneliness. But it's great.

I'm a big Transference fan. Even a lesser track like 'Who Makes Your Money' explores space in a way that I think they deployed more successfully on TWMS.

The self-production is more interesting than about half the songs. There is no wrong answer with this remarkably consistent band.

At a I heart radio thing. Spoon,national and beck

Live on YouTube

i went to this i Heart Radio event last night. it was prepackaged indie rock for the kids. not sure how to pull of eight bands in one night with very limited time. the had a rotating stage and very little set up time. but it just felt so generic and disgustingly commercial. not why i'm into music for.

anyways, Munford and Sons were pretty great and opened the show. i don't like them at all but they knew how to get the audience to eat out their hands. still don't think i'm going to go seek out their music but a good show. Spoon were next and are Spoon. the did stick out because they were probably the least known band of the night. they mainly stick with the new album which was perfect for this type of show. i'm sure part of the audience enjoyed it, i loved it and the band is still on a role, they are not just going through the motions. a band that is still at the top of their game. left to get some beers and stuff for Walk the Moon. Dashboard Confessional is a funny band. the last song was just him with an acrostic guitar and the audience helping him sing. The National were next and i felt like i was watching a Gothic band. they brought it down a few levels and played an impressive set. Beck was next and i was really looking forward to the show as he was great the only other time i saw him back in around the year 2000. he opened with "Loser," and was playing to this type of audience. then it got really sort of boring for a few song. he did play "Devils Haircut" but unfortunately it sounded dated. the songs on the new album are energetic and fun but not really memorable. ended with "Where's It At" but i was let down. really looking forward to seeing him but it lacked spark or something. we left during Cage the Elephant, mainly to beat LA traffic. prepackaged indie rock but happy to see Spoon and the National so it turned out to be a fun night. just sort of depressing to see music presented like that. the last time i was at the Forum i say Nirvana and this was the third to last show they ever played. very different experiences.

I Heart Radio event at the Forum in Los Angeles. January 19, 2018

Spoon:

Do I Have to Talk You Into It
Inside Out
Hot Thoughts
Can I Sit Next To You
Do You
The Underdog
Rent I Pay

The National:

The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness
Bloodbuzz Ohio
I Need My Girl
Guilty Party
Day I Die

Beck:

Loser
Up All Night
Devils Haircut
Colors
Dreams
Wow
E-Pro
Where It's At
(with One Foot in the Grave)

*sorry about my grammar upthead. i was just writing and didn't check my work.

Good to see you back Bee OK!

Really wish there was a 12-Inch Club Mix of "First Caress".

i really do love this album and "First Caress" would make for a great club mix.

this might be this best thing on this album, it's magical:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZWSSCdLW74

There were a couple of interviews published recently, I'd hoped there might be a new album coming but they just seem to be in support of a batch of reissues:

https://americansongwriter.com/britt-daniel-looks-back-at-two-decades-of-spoon/

https://reverb.com/news/interview-spoons-jim-eno-on-the-bands-recording-techniques

Fairly interesting interviews anyway, especially the Jim Eno one

I fucking love this album.

"WhisperI'lllistentohearit" is Daniel's sexiest moment on record. And the tempo change!

It's become my favorite Spoon album!

Alfred and willem OTM

This is the record where I feel I can really finally commit to them as a fan, if that makes any sense, though the 2001-2014 era certainly has songs and even albums I liked.