Link: http://www.spoontheband.com/

How can Spoon do anything wrong? Sure, Series of Sneaks initially got a bad rap, but many saw the error of their ways. And maybe Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was more poppy than the band was used to, but coming down from the success of “The Way We Get By” it is not far-fetched. And who the hell really even knew about Telephono until it received a re-issue. Although a continual side-stepping throughout their career, it was still the band’s signature methods and tight grip on their sound that set them apart with indie intelligence.

Transference goes back to the Series Of Sneaks days and creates songs that make you feel in limbo and constantly pushed and contorted by the twisting and turning of style. It’s the feeling of uncertainty that blanketed Girls Can Tell, and it’s this uncertainty in their songs that make Transference so infectiously intriguing. It should not be so surprising, but things on this album catch you off guard in a good way.

Deconstructing “Before Destruction,” the song starts out like just that — a song. But then layers get peeled away, leaving Britt Daniels’ copper vocals and junked out acoustic strums, like a lost dirty cassette demo you found in the backseat of the car. Then layers get put back, and the production purposely improves as that voice and guitar gets put into focus, and the Yo La Tengo-like farfisa hums stretch the song out.

If you are familiar with the production assets of the band members (I’m thinking drummer Jim Eno and bands like Zykos and Mates of State), then it will not come as a surprise that this time the band takes over the production aspects. Not that you will notice a big change to this album because they are, in essence, controlling creatures, but you will notice something. That something comes from every single member pushing beyond their capabilities whether it’s a force beyond or simply interpretative containment.

If the machine works, don’t fix it. Spoon shows us time and time again that they remain unmatched in what they do, and what they do, they do amazingly well. Like Britt says on “Written In Reverse,” “All I know is all I know.” It’s as simple as that.