Customer Reviews

Love Ways

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most people know Spoon for their albums like "Girls Can Tell" and "Kill the Moonlight," which leaves the poor "Love Ways" EP relatively unknown. It's one of the more underrated creations by Spoon (along with "Series of Sneaks"), with its taut, sharp rock and songcraft.

"I miss that way you hold yourself/I miss the sense of wonder inside," Britt Daniel sings mournfully in the opener, slow-burning rock song "Change My Life." No flourishes here -- just stripped-down rock that seethes with energy and some complex electric riffs. In other words, good rock'n'roll.

After that, the next two songs seem a bit lightweight, but they're actually quite good: There's the fierce danciness of "I Didn't Come Here To Die," and the Beatlesesque pop of "Jealousy." Then it's back into rock territory with catchy, punky rocker "Figures of Art," and finally finishing up with the downbeat, distant "Chips and Dip."

Spoon originally put out "Love Ways" as a sort of "hey remember us? We're back!" wave to their listeners, after two years of label-less oblivion. So before "Girls Can Tell" was put out, "Love Ways" was released to show the fans that Spoon was alive and well, and still putting out outstanding music.

As it is, Spoon was in good form when they released this little EP -- sprightly pop, taut rock riffs, flickers of organ, and the slow burn of the finale. They try it all, and it all succeeds. Daniels' razor-edged guitars get coated in dust for "Change My Life," right before smashing up against Jim Eno's tight drumming. It's outstanding, and would stand on its own even without the singing.

Speaking of the singing... Britt Daniels has one of those great, gritty voices that can sing anything in a heartfelt way. Without, I might add, sounding like a lovelorn emo lad. He can pull off the occasional dud line, and only stumbles in the final song -- his voice doesn't have the same impact when half the song is spoken.

It's hard not to love "Love Ways," a solid item for anyone who has ever enjoyed Spoon's taut, tight rock'n'roll. An amazing, rewarding little EP.

I can agree with an above reviewer that this is indeed the best 5 song EP I've ever heard. And I definetly don't live under a rock; I'm an absolute music junkie. Spoon are a fantastic band of talented musicians. Britt Daniel is a gifted songwriter, the likes of which we have not seen since the glory days of rock. Take my advice: listen to Spoon. If you listen to them you will love them. I haven't met a soul who's done so and not loved what they heard.
Every song on this EP is a monster song within itself. This is a filler free EP (not that Spoon ever made records with fillers in the first place) and it's kind of like getting punched repeatedly very quickly; the songs just hit you, one phenomenal song after the other. So do it now. Listen to Spoon.

A friend turned me onto this disc last year and I was immediately hooked. While I have seen comparisons to Guided by Voices, I think these guys have a special thing all their own. If you like your rock music bare and taunt, with electric guitar and DRUMZ, and spare intelligent lyrics that echo Bowie, Lennon, and Neil Young, give them a shot. This EP contains several strong numbers which reflect Spoon's sound and approach quite well. If you like this, check out "Girls Can Tell" and "A series of Sneaks".

Or at least get these tracks online somewhere. This is not a typical EP released with one good song and some fillers before the next album is released. "Change my life" is one of my favorite rock songs of all time. I dont know why, but it has energy with restraint, fantastically delivered vocals, and great (but slightly ambiguous) lyrics. None of the other songs are quite as good, but there are no throwaways. Just catchy songs. I might even suggest listening to this EP before any of their albums. Then go to "Girls can tell" and "Series of sneaks"

The song Chips and Dip is beautifully distant and aching, and is reminiscent of Ed Harcourt or the song "Voices" by Cheap Trick.

Songwriting mastery.

Witty, intelligent, bent, edgy, passionate; Britt Daniel is the kind of songwriter you will carry with you for decades.