KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic has a live session with Spoon (recorded January 20th) which you can listen to or even watch 'on demand' at this link below. I didn't even know about it but caught the session live, as I listen to the show as much as I can during the past four years. (The new dj Jason Bentley plays more dance music than Nic Hardcourt did which I put up with waiting for the good stuff in between, just like I did with Hardcourt's foray into folky tunes before.) Spoon released new recording of songs the day before the session called Transference -- the Austin band's seventh since forming in 1993 (though it's lead singer Britt Daniel is spending more time with a girlfriend in Portland, OR). During the interview, lead singer Daniel admits that this CD is the best one to capture their true essence as a band since he and fellow band member Jim Eno step into the producer role as well. Some songs were even left in their demo format or only with slight embellishments and it shows, making for an intimate offering from a seasoned band. Here's the link here.
I've revisited the session a few times and have already played the new CD many times through, all which I highly recommend. I had my husband pick up the CD in a big box store in the city during the week, rather than waiting till I could make it to our small indy record store in town over the weekend where I actually heard of the band back in 2002. I was looking for something new and the owner (Johnny of Johnny's in Darien, CT) put on "That's The Way We Get By" from Kill the Moonlight and I was instantly hooked. It was music unlike anything I had heard yet at the same time instantly recognizable, the deep groove by a basic band set up without embellishment beyond a tambourine now and then but with Daniel's breathy, emotive vocals. I went on to be a Spoon fan over next two CDs, Gimme Fiction (2005) and Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007) and caught them live at Hammerstein Ballroom during their tour in the fall of 2007 where they did not dissapoint. Their songs live only seemed bigger and grander from the elaborate stage set up. The band will be at Radio City Music Hall this March 26th, a wonderful space to hear music.
Getting their latest in hand, I instantly opened it and threw it in my laptop to upload to itunes. It begins with a lush sonic groove and ends in a free for all jam. In between are classic Spoon moments of spare clarity and others that push it to the looser, edgier side of things. poured over the cover and looked inside at the lyrics, liner notes and a notice at the end: BUYING RECORDS IN RECORD STORES IS COOL. Yipes, I should be more patient but that would mean waiting a few days for that first listen!