Transference

Critical reception for Transference wasn't quite as strong overall as for Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, but in the end I might prefer it a little bit. It's a bit less structured and produced, and a little more sloppy and jammy. It's definitely a deliberate choice, and one that I thought tended to work out. Some of the flourishes are a bit weird, like some pointless echoing and abruptly ending tracks that I was quite in the middle of enjoying, but it also pays off big in songs like "Got Nuffin'", which is four minutes of sort of the same thing, but it's a thing I really like and it simply wouldn't have happened on a more focused record. I definitely find myself overall liking Spoon more than I did when I first listened to them, as they seem to me to be simply the perfect example of what a rock band should be these days. Britt has a great voice for it, and when you combine their talent for songwriting with their ability to play a damn song, there's not much they don't have covered.

"Before Destruction" definitely isn't the sort of song I expected them to open with, and it sort of sets that unusual tone for the whole thing. "The Mystery Zone" is one of the jammier pieces on the album, and a pleasant one to let wash over you for five minutes. "Who Makes Your Money" is enjoyable in a similar way, but before anyone gets too worried about them getting soft "Written in Reverse" plays, which sounds more like something from their last album and features a lot of shouting and cool interplay. "I Saw the Light" is the longest track, and is another nice jam before it switches gears midway through and becomes more piano driven. "Goodnight Laura" is definitely the ballad of the album, and is pleasant enough although it doesn't do anything as interesting as "The Ghost of You Lingers". "Out Go the Lights" is another good, more mellow song, maybe my favorite on the record. It ends pretty strong, and while never too brilliant, it's a completely solid and enjoyable rock album. I'm definitely going to check out their earlier stuff at some point when everyone totally adored them.

Over the years, Spoon has given me what I have come to expect from them: peppy and clever alt-rock that's not too complicated. Nothing at all wrong with that. And with the issue of Transference, Spoon has done it again.
Reading other reviews, I notice there is a broad spectrum of opinion regarding this album. In other words, Transference has generated some controversy among its fans. Now, I am not a huge fan of the band or an "expert" on their music in any sense. I own a couple of their other CDs, hence my initial statement, but I haven't heard everything they've recorded so I can't pontificate on the merits of this album vis-a-vis all of their others. All I can say is that in my opinion, Spoon has come up with another winner.
My favorites here are quite excellent songs: The Mystery Zone, Written In Reverse, I Saw the Light, Out Go the Lights, Got Nuffin, and Nobody Gets Me But You . There is nothing at all that is unlistenable.
Transference is housed in a six-panel digipak and instead of providing a booklet, the lyrics are printed on the inside panels. I'll ignore the naysayers. This is a keeper.

It really has. The instrumentation is even more sparse than in Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, but after listening to this enough that's only a superficial quality. The music is still as complex and clever as anything they've written.

I think this record is top notch, great if you sit down with a pair of headphones... I love Spoon's records and this didn't disappoint when compared to the others. The sound isn't as polished as Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga's but it has the same loose & relaxed vibe. I personally don't feel it's their greatest, but it's certainly enjoyable. I feel like if you don't give the songs enough time, or you just skip through, you won't enjoy it. It's the kind of album that's meant to be sat down with and listened to from front to back.

I have to say that this is quite different from previous Spoon, but in a great way. They're adding texture to their music that they haven't done before and I like it! The "foundation" of the tunes is previous Spoon, but the delivery is more confident, daring, and creative. Buy this CD if you've heard Spoon or not and you're in for an audible treat.