Spoon - Girls Can Tell
(Merge)
It is pretty easy to deify an indie band that's been screwed
over by a major label, especially one so royally screwed as
Spoon was by Elektra. The short version of the story is that
Spoon was dropped by the majors about 4 months after their
major label debut A Series of Sneaks was released, after
numerous promises that they would not be affected by band
layoffs.
So A Series of Sneaks ended up in the crapper, leading to several
critics feeling a rush of empathy, broadcasting Spoon's story and
latching on to their album as a lost gem. They even proclaimed
it one of the best of 1998, calling it "criminally" "overlooked."
Without a label, Spoon started recording this album, Girls Can
Tell, their follow-up to A Series of Sneaks. The band, of course,
has ended up on Merge (who with Seaweed and Versus also online
seems to be starting some sort of halfway home for major label dropouts).
I guess this means we should feel sorry for the band. Elektra dropped
them, so they will be delegated to releasing records on Matador and Merge.
For heaven's sake, someone arrange a telethon.
With all the music magazines covering Spoon's story, it seems
to have gotten by everyone that their music really is not that
special or great. The band started as some sort of Pixies cover
band, and in an effort to find their own voice, they only made
their music simpler, taking the form of a plain old rock band.
The music they create is just normal pop music with unique vocals
but fairly uninspired guitar and bass. Guitar parts are short
jagged chards formed from rather few notes or chords. The guitar
(actually created from an amplified acoustic) more often creates
just a rhythm, not a melody, the only real melody coming from
vocals. It is so direct and simple that it is somewhat
refreshing and easy to listen to, but it is not terribly
effective. Toes remain in check with nary a tap.
Without all the hype, Spoon stands as sort of a poor man's version
of The Police or The Doors. Careful listening to Girls Can Tell
only leads to wasted time.
|
