Customer Reviews

A Series of Sneaks

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Imagine the love child of Pavement and the Pixies, finding their own musical path through the world of indie rock. That's the general feel that Spoon gives off in "A Series of Sneaks," the band's major label debut. It's jagged and darkly fun, carefully crafted while seeming effortless.

It opens with the jagged guitar spikes and shivery grooves of "Utilitarian," a rocker than grabs you by the hair and pulls you in. It sets the tone for much of the album, where many songs are a blend of angry and beautiful, such as the ominous "The Minor Tough," which sounds like a song from a Raymond Chandler musical.

"A Series of Sneaks" had a rollercoaster history -- the 1998 release was practically lost after Elektra ditched the band, but was reappeared on an indie label, then on Merge. Don't underestimate any band -- or any scorned album -- that comes back despite the odds, as Spoon did. Makes you wonder if Elektra is sorry now.

If "Series of Sneaks" has any flaw at all, it is that the album has a rather jagged feel. Yes, Spoon's music always sounds that way, but the songs feel like brief bursts of raw guitar rock. It's a bit frustrating to wonder if this album could have been even better, but as "Series of Sneaks" progresses, the indie fun takes over and you just sit back and enjoy.

Britt Daniel is obviously an underrated guitar genius, twisting his guitar into short, taut blasts; around him, we get the ever-changing duet of Joshua Zarbo's bass and Jim Eno's tight drums, complementing Daniel's guitar work. They dip into assorted styles -- blues, punk -- and blend them into the stripped-down sound.

Daniel's voice is just as versatile as his guitar -- he can let rip with raw howls, or downplay his voice to a thin waver. And the songwriting is oblique at best, but it really doesn't matter -- at times you can't understand what Daniel is singing about (is "Car Radio" about driving, or touring as a rock band?), but the vibe of it comes through loud and clear.

Spoon lets their raw musical power out in "A Series of Sneaks." This underrated rough gem is short, clocking in at only over half an hour, but it's an half-hour to treasure.

I have to say, as a fan of Spoon this review will inevitably be rather biased, but I'll do my best to critique it.

This albums bad points are that really it sounds like a collections of singles or at least some EP's slammed together. It lacks the flow of "Kill The Moonlight" or "Girls Can Tell". As well "Staring At The Board" sounds like it was written and recored after one to many drinks in the afternoon, a jokey almost throw away track.

But the good points, well the rest of the album is the good point. The punk bluster of "Junes Foreign Spell" puts the so called punk bands like Rancid and co. at Epitaph to shame with its venom. "Metal Detektor" is laid back and bluesy. "No You're Not"'s only fault is that its over so soon, as is the problem with the woozy "Chloform". Yet the songs maintain an intimacy with listen, like they we're there with you in the same room, such a rare quality that today's over produnced bands, even the so called alt bands sorely lack.

Its not their best effort, but just about all Spoon do is gold, and this is an indie classic.

A Spoon fan for some time now, I finally bought Series of Sneaks today and am totally floored. It's the punchy, passionate rock Spoon are best at, but which they've gradually toned down in subsequent releases. Don't get me wrong, their newer stuff is great--expansive, textured, understated--but Sneaks is lightning in a bottle. Don't miss it!

On November 6th, 2002, I heard a band called Spoon for the very first time on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. They performed The Way We Get By, and from that day forward I was hooked. Then, for a while, I fell out of love with Spoon, stopped listening to their music (to that point, the only album of theirs I had heard was Kill The Moonlight), until, out of curiosity, I decided to get my hands on some of their older stuff. And now, the cycle has begun again. There's something about the band that I adore; perhaps it's the lyrics, or maybe it's the voice of Britt Daniel. Somehow, Spoon has become my favorite band...again. From the superb guitar and wicked bass in Quincy Punk Episode to the drums of Metal Detektor, this band rocks. This album just serves as a testament to that.

I never thought I'd say that about any band, to be perfectly honest. Spoon is in a genre all by itself; it's beyond rock but hardly heavy. The other thing I like about Spoon that is a characteristic that is rare nowadays is that their songs only seem to get better the more you listen to them; every day, I have a new favorite Spoon song, because one I was listening to for a while suddenly sounds better than it ever has.

I mean, come on. How can you possibly beat these lyrics (from Quincy Punk Episode): "molly said she ought to leave you/ ought to leave you/ ought to leave you/ molly said she ought to leave you/ in the ground/ when they see you hanging down from on the ceiling/ I've got a feeling/ that there's no one / if you could speak/ would believe you". Spoon makes it work.

The truth is, Spoon epitomizes everything I've always liked about music; lyrics, attitude, pianos, and vocals, melded into one beautiful work of art called a song.

If I had to make a complaint, I'd say it has to do with the length the album; it's simply too short. Other than that, these guys, and this album, are perfect.

In short what a great album filled with short, chugging, catchy as hell rock songs that make you want to sing along with every listen. The muscianship is top notch and the singer, reminiscent of Greg Sage (Wipers) carries each track with finesse. Spoon mixes Pixie style rock riffs with interesting time signatures and catchy chorus to create an amazing mix of alternative rock that has been largely ignored by the public. This is Spoon's only release on Elektra and were dropped shortly after the release of this album which probably explains why this album went under most listener's radar. Comparisons to the Pixies is valid but these guys are in a league of their own. Buy this and discover your next favorite alternative rock CD.

I have to say, I have never been able to pick a favorite album before I bought this CD (even when I was obsessed with Radiohead I was still unable to claim OK Computer as my favorite), but after I bought it, and listened to it for the third time, I made the decision that this is my favorite album, ever (at least until I buy another Spoon album), and it was the easiest decision I've ever made. For the readers of this review, I am sorry to explain that I can't say exactly why. The first two times I listened to it, it was nice and catchy, but never more than good, and thats because I was expecting some sort of genius from it. And that's not to say it isn't genius, because it is. The genius is in the simplicity and it took my third listen to realize that. They are MANY different sounds here that you wont notice the first few times, but everything is used to perfect effect. The material here may not be the best (though it's damn good), but the execution is hands down, the best I have EVER heard. Perfect lo-fi production. Perfect CD.

Spoon deserve to be huge. I buy a lot of music and this band is one of the best kept secrets around. Even when they were on Matador they didn't have much of a buzz; with this album they didn't get much help from their label and it went unnoticed. Too bad--every time I recommend this CD to a friend they go nuts. Comparisons to The Pixies are fair, but Spoon is maybe a little more mellow (at times), more hook-laden, and the dude can sing. He can also play guitar--takes care of all the duties here but what sounds like an electric guitar is actually an acoustic guitar with some amp effects. The drummer is also top notch. This CD is worth it--if you like The Pixies and/or a lot of the bands on Matador, you will be in for a nice surprise with Spoon.

I saw this band at the Bug Jar in Rochester, NY. They ROCKED. Playing as a 3 piece, they made a smallish sound system sound great. The album is fantastic. Most impressive is the songwriting. Excellent songs. Interesting melodies and the accoustic (yes, that's an accoustic) guitar sounds pore, raw, & LOUD! Get this CD.

Whew! I heard a cut of this on Vin Scelsa's "Idiot's Delight" (the only listenable commercial music radio show in NYC - on Sun. nights) and it rocked me enough to wanna buy the record. And after playing it half a dozen times at high volume (waited until the kids left the house), it ranks with one of the most satisfying releases by a band I had never heard of. Excellent songwriting, surprising chord changes...this band is on. File under pavement without the pretensions, replacements with chops, you'd be somewhere in the ballpark. Tunes I'll be listening to in three years.

top notch. what else can you say. spoon is at once the future and past of music.

okay?