Spoon is probably the best working band alive. And yet they’re frequently pigeonholed as an indie beat band, even after their wonderfully experimental, jam-based album “They Want My Soul.” My hope is that Hot Thoughts finally silences the doubters.
It starts with a song that feels pretty Spoon-y: Whisperi’lllistentohearit. It’s short, it’s minimalist, the lyrics are vaguely personal. It’s followed by Do I Have To Talk You Into In, which has lead singer Britt Daniel singing in his typically slightly hoarse voice about a relationship with a girl. Yeah, that’s familiar too. But it’s tighter than usual. And much fuzzier. It feels…More Spoon-y? More complete. It feels like their sound has been perfected, right down to the drums-and-synth breakdown at the end—a holdover from their “They Want My Soul” album.
And it just keeps going like that.
This is the band’s sleekest, best-written album yet. And that’s saying something.
But not only is it a traditional Spoon album, it also moves them forward. “Pink Up” is an elaborate experiment in electronica and nontraditional sounds—a pure studio song, like The Beatles’ Revolution #9, from a band that makes live music every time it gets together. “Can I Sit Next To You” feels like a Temptations cover. Then there’s they creepy “I Ain’t The One” and the anti-Trump protest song “Tear It Down,” which almost sounds like a late-stage Beatles song.
I could go on and on. Seriously. If this doesn’t end up being the best album of 2017, then we’re in for some truly amazing music this year.
