Customer Reviews

Gimme Fiction

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Spoon is one of the best, and also the most underappreciated, bands in the wide world of indierock. And after the twin masterpieces of "Girls Can Tell" and "Kill the Moonlight," they had a lot to follow up on. They could have easily rested on their laurels, and produced a new album full of nothing new at all.

But they didn't. And the result is worth waiting for.

Their newest album, "Gimme Fiction," actually takes that kind of rock and builds on it. Nowherer is it more obvious than in the opener, "The Beast and Dragon, Adored," where lead singer Britt Daniels sounds eerily like John Lennon. If I didn't know that it was actually Daniels, I might have thought that someone found a lost Lennon song that happened to sound like Spoon.

It's followed up by a stream of slow-burning rock, with angular guitars and sharp percussion. But Spoon gets to experiment with those different styles too. There's a deep funk vibe in "I Turn My Camera On," but it instantly switches to some piano and drums in "My Mathematical Mind" and the blasts of guitar rock in "Sister Jack."

In other words, Spoon has taken the time to experiment. "Gimme Fiction" is more musically lush than "Kill the Moonlight," which was wonderfully stripped-down. But unlike many bands who try to evolve their work, Spoon hasn't lost their edge. There's still a lo-fi, angular sound to their music; it's not quite on the same level as their prior albums, but even "only good" Spoon is the stuff of retro-rock dreams.

Since it's Spoon, it's dark and rather dismal. But those lo-fi grooves are so much fun that it's virtually impossible to actually think of them as dark. The riffs are sharp and complex, with lots of little hooks to draw listeners in. They can burn slowly, then rev up into brief blasts. It's backed by unstoppable basslines, acoustic guitar and memorable percussion, with frontman Daniels' moody vocals over it all.

Daniels is still in top form in "Gimme Fiction," and it seems that his talents are not running dry. He seems very introspective and thoughtful this time around: "You've got the weight of the world/coming down/like a butterfly," he croons. He even feigns a Prince-like falsetto early on, but somehow the scratchy, flexible sound suits him better.

"Gimme Fiction" pokes into some new territory for Spoon, while keeping on safe ground. Dark and fun, catchy and rough, it's a must-have for fans of good rock.

This album is a near-masterpiece, earning four stars in my book only because it does not quite reach the pinnacles of Spoon's undeniable masterpiece, 2001's "Girls Can Tell" (if you are new to the band, I might start with that one, but "Fiction" would serve as a good introduction, as well). "Gimme Fiction," like most of the band's other records, succeeds so well because you have that constant tension between the catchy pop of the melodies and the sexy, dangerous edge of Britt Daniels' voice (as well as the vicious drumming). It doesn't even matter what he's singing in a song like "I Turn My Camera On"......the song as a whole just sounds so f*cking amazing, you can get lost inside it. Also, I must give highest praise to the band for keeping the total run-time on this album mercifully short, in the style of, say, a classic Beatles album. Spoon clearly are craftsmen, recognizing that "less is more;" that just because a CD allows for 80 minutes of music doesn't mean you must utilize all 80. I look forward to playing this album all summer and singing along, loudly.

It appears that Spoon has jumped the fence over to mainstream success with this release. The band has borrowed liberally from the classic rock of the 70's and 80's (their formative years, I presume), from the ominous Bowie-esque glam-rock opener, "Beast and Dragon, Adored", to the falsetto Stones-funk of "I Turn My Camera On". The first half of this CD is especially impressive, laden with hooks, the catchiest being in "Sister Jack", an upbeat number that evokes so many "Jack" songs of yore (The Who's "Happy Jack"; the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash", even Spirit's "Uncle Jack"). Once we pass that song, memorable tunes are harder to come by, though they're consistently competent and entertaining. Their pop-tradition sensibilities remind me of Fountains of Wayne, albeit with a harder edge. And now and then Britt Daniels' guitar cuts loose on a "noisy" solo that reminds us they still consider themselves an alternative band. Overall, it's a worthy effort, as Spoon joins groups like Modest Mouse and the Shins in gaining a well-deserved wider audience.

Let me put this as clearly as possible: I'm an avid music fan who tries to listen to anything that makes a blip on the critical radar. With this in mind, I'm here to tell you that "Gimme Fiction" is not only Spoon's best cd, and that it will surely hold the top spot on many best of the year lists, but that its first seven songs (count `em) are so insanely good, so packed with pleasurable hooks and grooves, so smart, so delicious, so intricately designed and performed, that it will, I predict, achieve the rank of a classic. BUT...this isn't a cd that reveals itself on the first, second, or third listen. Only with multiple listens does it become clear that each song is comprised of a multitude of perfect choices: the prefect riff or beat, the perfect lyric, the perfectly-chosen little guitar growl or half-buried answer-back chorus. (You'll hear a similar high-standard and perfect knack for arrangement in the music of Wilco). "Gimme Fiction" is the sort of crafty, buoyant, deeply satisfying cd you hope for every summer but rarely find. It is a great rock and roll record.

Since this is my first outing with Spoon, I have no way to compare it with their previous works. However, if Gimme Fiction is any indication of the quality of previous albums, I am eager to hear more of them.
My intro to Spoon came via an English music magazine, despite the fact that they are based a mere hundred miles from where I live. I chose Gimme Fiction as it seemed as good a CD with which to acquaint myself with their music than any other. One facet of the music I came to enjoy is the way the guitar is deftly used to underline or accent a musical sequence, rather than as a mere accompaniment to the lyrics.
My favorites are The Beast and the Dragon, Adored with its Beatlesque vocals and blistering guitar licks, Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine with its steady and appealing beat, the snappy pop of Sister Jack, and the relentlessly driving and Beatlesque They Never Got You.
On Gimme Fiction, Spoon sounds fresh and exciting. In popular music, the most danceable music generally is so vapid lyrically that those with elevated taste dismiss it out of hand. On the other hand, those who prefer dance music often dismiss quality "listening" music as elitist.
With Gimme Fiction, you'll find that Spoon has managed to locate that rare intersection of quality and danceability. Check it out and you'll hear what I mean!

They've done it again. If you like Spoon you've already bought it. If you want to get into Spoon this or A Series of Sneaks is where to start. The opening track is perfect (Beast and Dragon, Adored). It sounds like John Lennon when Britt Daniels hits a schizo unbalanced scream. The piano is laid so thick and the guitar has very jagged points like Velvet Underground & Nico's Andy Warhol album. It's better than Girls Can Tell, which seems to be everyone's favorite Spoon album, but mine. And as good as any of their other albums. Standout tracks are: Beast and Dragon, Adored!, My Mathematical Mind, and They Never Got You. Add a respectable album to your collection and get this album!

2002 was a breathtaking year in music - we saw the life-changing advent of Interpol, the glorious manifestation of Beck's sadness, the amphetamine tremors of Hot Hot Heat, the face-breaking fury of Trail of Dead, to name a few. We also saw a record by a band that got dropped from their label a few years back to little fanfare, a record whose simplicity and crackling execution dropped jaws across the country. That album was Spoon's "Kill the Moonlight," and there's a reason I listed all those bands above - their follow-ups induced shoulder-shrugs and sighs from fans whose hopes had been neither dashed nor fulfilled.

Gimme Fiction is not one of those albums. Gimme Fiction is the best album of 2005 so far, the best follow up to any of 2002's indie superhero successes. It's a "most" album for Spoon, the most diverse album that Spoon has ever put together, the most coherent (hell, the opening track subtly introduces every subsequent song) and the most mature, by far. "The Beast and Dragon, Adored" continues Spoon's cat-and-mouse alternation between thunderous melody and near silence. "The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine" is their best piano ballad so far, thankfully short enough to not wear out its welcome. "I Turn My Camera On" is a musical vacuum filled only by a chugging one-two bass line and a beautifully sparse rhythm section.

"My Mathematical Mind" is the second best song on the album, a track that opens with keys not dissimilar to songs from 2001's Girls Can Tell. However, whereas Spoon used to be all about repetition, they've discovered the art of progression. This song manages to build from its opening simplicity into a thundering inferno of loose drumming and guitar tectonics, and its final explosion is entirely sublime. The dark first half of the album culminates in "the Delicate Place." This song is inhabits the same moody twilight as songs like "Paper Tiger," except it starts from nothing and turns into something by the end - it turns into all-out rock fireworks. It's one of Spoon's best songs yet.

The second half opens with two startlingly sunny numbers that surprise and delight: "Sister Jack" and "I Summon You." From there Gimme Fiction plunges back into moodiness with "The Infinite Pet" and "Was it You," the former featuring a chunked-up riff and the latter being entirely in keeping with Spoon's minimalist sensibilities. "They Never Got You" is probably too long, but its droning, muted bass and '80s handclaps play background music to what sounds like e-bow action on the guitar. The album closes with "Merchants of Soul." It's not so theatrical a closer - it's just a good Spoon song, spacious and punctuated with stabs of piano and viola.

Somewhere Elektra records is kicking themselves for having dropped Spoon in 1999, and somewhere Britt Daniel is hopefully relaxing with the knowledge that not only has his band recovered from the "tough break handjob" that almost ended their careers, they've put out three absolutely stellar albums in a row. Gimme Fiction is an album that encourages fans to let fly their unabashedly high hopes that their favorite bands can only get better; it's a reason to keep liking music amid this year's acid rain of disappointing follow ups, or to keep liking music at all. The band is Spoon, the album is Gimme Fiction, and you should own it.

I'll admit right off the bat that I'm not exactly a sucker for the indie rock scene that is so hot right now. In fact, the only reason I knew who Spoon were was because they were billed as the opening act on Weezer's summer tour last year. Being that I held a ticket to one of those shows, I felt the urge to look into Spoon and subsequently aquired their entire discography. A few days after doing so, Spoon dropped off our date for mysterious reasons, and I had all these CD's by a band I hardly even know.

Do I regret it? Not now. After sitting on my shelves for almost a year, I figured "Why put all that money to waste" and I have started to really enjoy Spoon. I honestly didn't think I would, but I do. It's amazing to me that these guys haven't been getting the attention earned by the likes of Death Cab for Cutie or Modest Mouse. These guys are simply a notch above what's going on today. With a bit of retro 60's/70's rock, dance and funk, Spoon's latest album "Gimme Fiction" is simply a please-all afair. The true standouts among this collection are "My Mathematical Mind," "I Turn My Camera On" and "They Never Got You," but every song is excellent and has something different to offer. You could list off a thousand influences -- from the Rolling Stones to The Pixies -- but Spoon sound like nobody else. These days, that's nearly impossible to come by. Had I not experienced the circumstances by which I came to know Spoon, they surely would have slipped under my radar. And that's a shame. These guys have what it takes to be one of the biggest acts today, but your next door neighbor probably has no idea who they are.

Spoon's "Gimme Fiction" is a great piece of rock minimalism. Their steady grooves can mesmerize the listener, so when changes do come along, they really mean something. A great example of this is the first (and best) track on the disc, "The Beast and Dragon, Adored." The hypnotic/ethereal mid-tempo rock groove leads into a chorus that sounds like classic Bowie or Lennon. Wild guitar lines have a loose, improv feeling, providing a sharp contrast to the metronomic feeling coming from the rhythm section. I can't get enough of this track.

On "My Mathematical Mind," similar techniques are used, creating a feeling of stasis with a repetitive groove, then slowly ramping up to a Velvet Underground-ish explosion of noise-rock. The track is not quite as effective as "The Beast..." because the "building" groove is overly simplistic and it takes far too long to get where it's going. Still worth a listen.

In "I Turn My Camera On" the band lays down a minimal 70's funk groove and tops it off with memorable falsetto vocals. Weird noises pop up at the end of the track, reminding me of Wilco's experimental side. Speaking of Wilco, several tracks on this album sound very much like them. For example, the catchy rock tune "Sister Jack" would fit right in on one of Wilco's earlier albums. So if you like Wilco, you probably already have this disc!

I agree with other reviewers that say Spoon is giving well-deserved nods to their rock predecessors (Beatles, Stones, Who, etc.), but they are trying to see what's left to explore in the world of rock without turning to the world of over-produced self-indulgence. "Gimme Fiction" remembers it's roots, but is firmly planted in the here and now.

My first real discovery of Spoon came from the movie Stranger Than Fiction, where, at the very start, Britt Daniel's piano happily bounces alongside Will Ferrell as he furiously and methodically brushes his teeth. (If you haven't seen this movie, you need to.) The song "The Way We Get By," even minus the vocals, as heard in the movie, was irresistible to me and I had to discover more of Spoon.

From the get-go this album does not disappoint. It's amazingly accessible and catchy throughout. Weird song titles but unstoppable hooks. Groovy grooves, snappy beats and slickly styled singing by Daniels, who is a tremendous, diverse musician. Some of the songs on "Gimme Fiction" contain a lulling feel with not much change-up throughout. "The Beast and Dragon, Adored" is a nice choice to open the CD, mellow and a touch foreboding. The peppier tune that follows, "Two Sides/Monsieur Valentine," is classic Spoon and more indicative of what's to come. Following that song, "I Turn My Camera On" is, quite simply, an ultra-cool, even seductive dance tune with good bass work and a slice of electric guitar for a rockin' effect.

"My Mathematical Mind," also found on the tremendous Stranger Than Fiction soundtrack (where Spoon has three other tunes), is similar in style to "The Way We Get By." It's full of piano, pleasantly tuneful and features cool lyrics. Spoon are adept at switching up their sound, and everything remains nonstop catchy. "Sister Jack" could be a great Wallflowers or Wilco tune, while "I Summon You" reminds me a bit of Blur or even a modern Beatles. Despite wherever the band may get its many influences, which includes pure dance and R&B-type stuff ("Was it You"), the creative guys in Spoon definitely possess their own unique vibe and sound.

If there's a dull or unlistenable track on "Gimme Fiction," I sure can't find it. This band is worth the hype it receives. Spoon seem to go about making music with a real sense of joy, which I base on the songs, of course: In the final analysis, each song is simply a lot of fun.