Spoon self-produced Transference and while there’s some studio trickery at the heart of some of its arrangements, “Written In Reverse” (and maybe “Mystery Zone”) came out of the gates as an example of Spoon being Spoon, knocking out a taut and rhythmic rocker, uncluttered production in service of a swaggering hook. A logical choice then for their Tonight Show closeup last night, the band entering NBC’s Burbank studio/warzone with some lyrics closer to Conan’s heart than he may have realized: “No nothin’ was planned / You just can’t help yourself / Some people are so easily shuffled and dealt / If there’s only one of us you truly felt … I’m not standing here.” Not for long, anyway.
Transference is out via Merge. If you want to catch up on some Spoon insights, try these profiles in the New York Times and New York Post. Guess which one’s headline is a pun.
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oh no it’s painful when his voice is straining there. i love them, i wish i liked this song more.
Eh, the straining didn’t last long, and it’s part and parcel of the Britt Daniel singing method anyhow – I liked it. The false stop thankfully didn’t make the entire audience start clapping before they started back up again and finished it off…in related Spoon news on the home front, I was at Target last night (that’s normal, right?) and much to my surprise, Transference was given a front and center shelf space and selling for a thrifty $7.98! It made me feel bad though having known I had already down…ahem…yeah.
Ok, can anyone figure out what the hell that device on top of Britt’s amp is? The one with the diagonal red stripe? He had it at a show last year and he seemed to have issues with it all throughout the performance. It’s probably some custom made piece of equipment, but I’m still curious.
Eno is trained as a microelectronic engineer and makes a lot of equipment for the band. I wouldn’t doubt that it’s something custom. That said, I have no idea what it is…
It’s not just a different pre-amp going into the larger Vox?
Started off shaky for Britt, but he got more and more fiery as the song went on, like every word was aimed directly at the person referenced in the song. By the end he was practically seething with emotion. That’s exactly what this song needs.
i love spoon but i hate this song a lot
This song is great, in the tradition of All The Pretty Girls Go To The City, or something like that from their past. It’s definitely my favorite song from the album so far. I always feel bad for these guys when they’re on TV — they look so nervous!
This song drags so much, but I’m not sure what song I would have played if I were them.
Says a lot about a band when they can make a “bad” album and it’s still awesome.
Aw if only his voiced hadn’t been strained in the beginning.
It was a great song – Conan’s studio is NOT in Burbank, it’s in Universal City
This guy’s studio voice is the epitome of cool. But live he just sounds ridiculous.
And then you wonder why after 20 years some bands don’t get their break, lack of raw talent is the answer. But anyway, I can’t help loving these records.
Transference is a whole album. i loved the whole thing, but other than the last track I’d be hard pressed to choose a single. As an album though I think it is one of their strongest!
Spoon are redefining what a band can be when it is in charge of its output, scheduling, etc. No need to be popular as the Beatles. Making music is a great way of earning a living. Master painters and composers were never popular or rich while they were alive. I envy Spoon for sticking to their guns. Spoon are great live; check them out if you get the chance.