Spooning Spoon

I remember the first time I heard Spoon. It was early 2001 and the song was “Me and the Bean,” from the Austin, Texas-based band’s third studio LP, Girls Can Tell. I bought it and, by the end of the year, loved the record. It took a while to warm up to, as do many of Spoon’s albums. 

Before buying said record I was aware of the band’s 1998 record, A Series of Sneaks. Aware for two reasons: 1) One of the best album covers I’d ever seen; and 2) I’d heard about the cult following the album earned and also how the record didn’t sell up to Elektra’s projections - and thus Spoon were dropped.

I bought Sneaks in 2002 when Merge Records reissued it. Liked it but didn’t love it. To this day I’m still liking it more and more. By this time I considered myself a fan enough that I’d gone out and bought their 2000 EP Love Ways and was always on the lookout for an out-of-print record called Telephono.

Here’s the thing about Telephono and 2002: little was known about this record. This before the days of Wikipedia. I knew people who loved Spoon long before me and even they didn’t know Telephono at that time. Noticing that the record was on Matador Records (whose website was still something of a joke in 2002), I figured it must be a different band. Otherwise we’d all know about this record and, given the newfound attention the band saw with Girls Can Tell, Matador would reissue it. Right?

Then, while on the road somewhere in Ohio, on my way to a show, we stopped into a small record store. Jack shit to buy at this store. Jack shit until I found a brand spankin’ new copy of Telephono for $9.99. Knowing that this might not be the Spoon I loved, I bought it anyways. I bought it because, at the time, before Matador DID reissue it (and then Merge reissued it again years later), the disc was going for up to $60 on eBay. Good find. I bought it, put it in the player and knew right away that it was the Austin Spoon.

Great. Loved it. In fact, I liked Telephono more than Sneaks for a few years. It reminded me of Pavement, which is never a bad thing.

By the time late 2002 rolled around I counted myself a big fan. Big enough to buy the band’s fourth studio LP, Kill the Moonlight, at 10 a.m. on the day it was released.

Moonlight confused me. Weird record. There were a few instant standouts, for sure. But, in general, this was a strange record that I had trouble getting behind. That said, by the end of 2002, I was calling it one of my Top 3 records of that year. And the above noted better-with-time reputation works here, too. Works here more than almost anywhere. After putting the record on this morning, well, I like Kill the Moonlight more than ever. It’s a modern classic; the kind of record bands will be ripping off in 10 years. The kind of record that will someday spawn retro T-shirts.

By the time 2005 rolled around others had caught up; Spoon was the band to watch and their new record, Gimme Fiction, was the record to buy. I played that record everyday for at least two years while working in a record store. It owned me. I then put it on the shelf for a year or so before revisiting it sometime last year. Blew my mind. An absolutely perfect indie-rock record.

2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, despite its awful name, was also an instant classic. It was the kind of record that had the critics calling the band “mature” and new fans exploring the back catalog. The addition of horns works incredibly and the band seemed perfectly happy writing pop song. Ga was Spoon’s most approachable record to date … which means that, while it did gain them new fans, it also lost them a few. Me? I loved it. I like that they can play pop rock with horns and the weird art-rock of Moonlight.

So, yes, you could say it was the decade of Spoon. They also have some great EPs to their name (I’d highly recommend the abovementioned Love Ways, as well as 1997’s Soft Effects), a soundtrack and loads of compilation work. For a still-young band, Spoon has an awful lot of great material.

Now a new decade, Spoon returns with a new record, the just-released Transference. Great record cover, so-so album title, GREAT FUCKING SONGS. I won’t say too much about the record just now (as I do plan to write a proper review), but will say that, if you don’t yet have it, get out to the record store and get a copy. It’s fan-fucking-tastic. With this record Spoon becomes a classic band. Seven great studio records, two classic EPs and plenty of notable tours and compilations.

I’d start my “Spoon is the Rolling Stones of our generation” rant here, but it only makes people think I’m stretching. Instead, I’ll rank and rate the band’s classic catalog.

9. Soft Effects (1997) - 7/10

8. Love Ways (2000) - 7/10

7. Telephono (1996) - 7.5/10

6. Girls Can Tell (2001) - 8.5/10

5. A Series of Sneaks (1998) - 9.25/10

4. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007) - 9.49/10

3. Transference (2010) - 9.5/10

2. Gimme Fiction (2005) - 10/10

1. Kill the Moonlight (2002) - 11/10

Okay, I feel old. Transference album review coming soon!

Written by G. William Locke