Spoon: Subheadliners or first name on the third line

[somebodytoldme]

They've gotta be there this year, with a new album planned. Where does everyone see them on the poster?

[dorkfish]

While I like Spoon and enjoy seeing them live, they are nowhere near the draw that you've imagined.

[paulb]

Spoon=boring

[somebodytoldme]

While I like Spoon and enjoy seeing them live, they are nowhere near the draw that you've imagined.

Spoon=boring

TV on the Radio have a comparable draw and same amount of boredom as a live performer as Spoon but that didn't stop organizers from putting them as the first band on the third line and early evening on the Main Stage.

[higgybaby23]

While I like Spoon and enjoy seeing them live, they are nowhere near the draw that you've imagined.

This.

Spoon=boring

And some of this.

[menikmati]

I would love to see Spoon there. If they def have a new album coming out in the spring time (don't know if they do or not), then they will be there.

[dorkfish]

TV on the Radio have a comparable draw
You are incorrect.

[Botrocker]

They have kind of fallen off.

They were good in 05 though.

[FoxeyLady]

meh

[FoxeyLady]

i could see them on the outdoor theatre in the night time

[dorkfish]

i could see them on the outdoor theatre in the night time
Entirely possible. Their new album should be out by early spring, so it would make sense that they'd want to do a tour of the festivals.

[A_1_B_2]

Not sure about Coachella but they've got some shows scheduled up in December (***KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas spoiler alert***)

[nbvcide]

meh.. not a draw



if they do Almost Acoustic i'd be shocked.

[luckyface]

They did Almost Acoustic two years ago. Why would it be a shock this year?

[karma_guy]

they kicked all sorts of ass @ p4k in '08

[psycobetabuckdown]

They were at the same spot on the Treasure Island poster as TV on the Radio, so at least back then the draw was comparable. I agree they don't seem to be as big as they used to. I have yet to see them live; it would be good to see them release a big album.

To answer the question, they're third-liners for now.

[nbvcide]

They did Almost Acoustic two years ago. Why would it be a shock this year?

for that exact reason.

do they even have a new album out? kroq is often shitty, but they DO try to stay hip and current.

[dorkfish]

They were at the same spot on the Treasure Island poster as TV on the Radio
Their star was on the rise, then, and they've always drawn above-average in the Bay Area.

[dorkfish]

for that exact reason.

do they even have a new album out? kroq is often shitty, but they DO try to stay hip and current.
New album in early spring. I doubt that they play KROQ's Acoustic Christmas, but it's possible since they're playing So Cal around then.

[A_1_B_2]

They were at the same spot on the Treasure Island poster as TV on the Radio, so at least back then the draw was comparable. I agree they don't seem to be as big as they used to. I have yet to see them live; it would be good to see them release a big album.

To answer the question, they're third-liners for now.

Their star was on the rise, then, and they've always drawn above-average in the Bay Area.

I think Spoon is still just as popular as they were before but just needs a new album to reignite the hype and relevance. They grew a huge fan base with past two albums. I don't think they've loss fans at all. They're headlining a show out in NYC or D.C. somewhere with Phoenix and Passion Pit opening in December.

[beavington]

They were at the same spot on the Treasure Island poster as TV on the Radio, so at least back then the draw was comparable. I agree they don't seem to be as big as they used to. I have yet to see them live; it would be good to see them release a big album.

To answer the question, they're third-liners for now.

Yeah and MGMT was on the same line at Treasure Island as Paul McCartney does that mean they could headline Coachella? Treasure Island isnt as big of a fest as Coachella.

[IBreastFeedJohnMadden]

Who is spoon? First act in the Gobi imo.

[Drinkey McDrinkerstein]

i'm not entirely in love with Spoon, but when I saw them open for Beck last year they were really, really good! Certainly blew MGMT off the stage that night

i support them being at Coachella, but I also agree that they do not have the draw OP thinks they do, especially against TV on the Radio

[JebusLives]

Not that big a draw, but would catch their set for sure.

[somebodytoldme]

From p4k:

Just when you thought Spoon topped-out when it came to making staggeringly consistent indie rock albums, they kept on doing you one better. Considering these guys made three of our favorite albums of the decade, we're hoping they can come up with as much greatness in the 2010s.

So, Happy Friday: The band's seventh LP, Transference, is due out January 26 in North America via Merge and January 25 in Europe via Anti-.

The record features 11 songs produced by the band, including recent single "Got Nuffin", not to mention tracks called "I Saw the Light" and "Out Go the Lights". Lights, people, lights! Peruse the other song titles at your leisure below:

(New Spoon!)


Transference:

01 Before Destruction
02 Is Love Forever?
03 The Mystery Zone
04 Who Makes Your Money
05 Written in Reverse
06 I Saw the Light
07 Trouble Comes Running
08 Goodnight Laura
09 Out Go the Lights
10 Got Nuffin
11 Nobody Gets Me But You

[sames44]

yet another reason to look forward to 2010

[somebodytoldme]

One of the days of Coachella 2010 could very well turn out to be a boring indie all star showcase. Here's the starting of a poster idea:

Arcade Fire
Pavement (other subheadliner)
Spoon (other third line act) (other third line act)

[PassiveTheory]

It depends how well this next record does, but I could see them barely making it onto the third line.

[thestripe]

i could see them on the outdoor theatre in the night time

They played this spot opposite Coldplay in 05.

[hendrixfan143]

One of the days of Coachella 2010 could very well turn out to be a boring indie all star showcase. Here's the starting of a poster idea:

Arcade Fire
Pavement (other subheadliner)
Spoon (other third line act) (other third line act)

Pavement isn't really boring though. Have not seen arcade fire but i hear they're good as well. Spoon is good but a little boring

[flowbee]

It depends how well this next record does, but I could see them barely making it onto the third line.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122279793

After giving the new album a listen, there's no song that jumps out to me that will generate any buzz. Maybe I need to listen to it twice. Will still be happy to see them at Coachella to hear a few of their old songs.

[FoxeyLady]

Spoon will be on the third line no question, probly not the first band on the third line though, seeing as this year is shaping up to have a strong undercard.

[CellarOwl]

TV on the Radio have a comparable draw and same amount of boredom as a live performer as Spoon but that didn't stop organizers from putting them as the first band on the third line and early evening on the Main Stage.
No and no...
One of the days of Coachella 2010 could very well turn out to be a boring indie all star showcase. Here's the starting of a poster idea:

Arcade Fire
Pavement (other subheadliner)
Spoon (other third line act) (other third line act)
And just no.

[TallGuyCM]

I haven't listened to the new album yet, but it's not getting great reviews.

[patriotsftbll786]

I'd say they have around the same draw as Band of Horses and they were third band, third row last year.

[im so indie]

Recent sub-headliners include Interpol, Arctic Monkeys, Decemberists, Raconteurs, Franz, YYYs....Spoon is easily on par with this group. Poster placement depends on who else is on that day (ie Beasties, Gorillaz, Pavement would put them on the 3rd line for sure).

I'm hoping they get a good slot on the main. Raconteurs and Interpol didn't look that amazing on paper, but they gave such great shows. Created an amazing atmosphere and really performed. I think Spoon could do the same.

[summerkid]

I disagree, I don't think they are on par with that group at all except Arctic Monkeys and Decemberists and those were on a poster that included 3 acts on the second line instead of 2 which is the norm.

I agree with the idea that they would be second or third name on the third line.

[ZackQ]

I love Spoon. They will be on the third line.

[weeklymix]

I love Spoon. They will be on the third line.

Mostly this.

[ZackQ]

If you live in Texas and you're cool, liking Spoon is mandatory.

[elChurro]

I'm listening now, sounds alright and familiar but they've sounded better in the past.

[TheCutestBoyAlive]

saw half coldplay, half spoon in 2005. they were ok, but not anything amazing. gagagagaga was a good album. hopefully transference is better. britt daniel can do no wrong! luv his voice

[MarkO]

Spoon=boring

Unbelievably boring.

[canexplain]

They are playing the Ogden here and although I have seen them 4 (?) times, I will catch them there. It is a sort of small place ... cr****


March 2010
17 - Austin, TX - Stubb's BBQ
18 - New Orleans, LA - Republic
19 - Birmingham, AL - Workplay Soundstage
20 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
22, 23 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
24 - Richmond, VA - The National
26 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
27 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
29 - Toronto, Ontario - Sound Academy
30 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre

April 2010
1 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
2, 3 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
5, 6 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
7 - Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
9, 10 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
11 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Orpheum Theatre
13 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater

[pachucasunrise]

I don't particularly care for Spoon but they're welcome if they're bringing Deerhunter along.

And no, I think Spoon will be the last name on the third line.

[ZackQ]

Yeah, Britt Daniels is pretty awesome.

Spoon isn't innovative or avant garde in the least, so I can see where the boring criticism comes from. I just think they're incredibly consistent. So much so that even as a massive Spoon fan, I still can't pick a favorite album. Solid band.

[TomServo]

Eh. I don't understand this thread at all.

Folks are talking about Soundgarden being third line (based on the rumors on CoS) - a band with Grammy and MTV Awards and three platinum records, and several well-received singles... but Spoon is second line?

If Spoon is second line, the festival organizers have to confused. Not knocking their music at all, but a band with no chart success, no award success, and few sales? Only if their new album is frickin' amazing. Really amazing.

(To be fair, Thievery Corporation was second line last year.... so it's not unprecendented)

[psycobetabuckdown]

Weren't they in the subheadliner hurt/heal thread?

Tom, "people" are wrong/stupid. Soundgarden is a headliner or extremely big subheadliner.

[TomServo]

Yep.... to be fair to those people, though.. I didn't see any references to Soundgarden as a third liner until the CoS comment thread. At that point, every other poster listed Soundgarden as the "third liner that makes us forget last year's indie reunion"... that screams crazy to me.

Why in the world they would take a third line billing as their reunion is beyond me - especially with Rage Against the Machine, Jane's Addiction, and Stone Temple Pilots all headlining after comebacks and no new material.

Besides... third line = 50 min set... for Soundgarden? That's like 8 songs. Yuck.

To reiterate - Spoon might be great, not trying to rain on anyone's parade, they just don't strike me as a big poster name who will sell a bunch of tickets today (unless that new album is the hot jank).

[TallGuyCM]

To reiterate - Spoon might be great, not trying to rain on anyone's parade, they just don't strike me as a big poster name who will sell a bunch of tickets today (unless that new album is the hot jank).

Which, according to most accounts, it's not.

[Caligula]

Spoon are a pretty consistent bunch. Consistent in sound and pretty darned consistent in quality. Since their 1996 debut Telephono they have gradually refined the Pixies-indebted indie rock of that record into something simultaneously more pop-savvy and complex with their neat use of production tricks an increasingly distinctive trait. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, from 2007, saw Spoon reach their apex in this regard; a record where auditory adventurousness (see 'The Ghost of You Lingers') and pop nous ('The Underdog') not only sat comfortably side by side, but where the former actually served the needs of the latter, as on the modernised Motown of 'You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb'

While Britt Daniel has described Transference as a consciously "uglier" album than its predecessor, opening track 'Before Destruction' allays any fears that Spoon might have succumb to the classic pitfall of confusing ludditism with authenticity/raw energy. Sure, Daniel's voice and the acoustic guitar that forms the basis of the songs verses are relatively ragged around the edges, but the warbly Beach House-style synth drones and dreamily layered backing vocals are more suggestive of a continuation of Spoon's typically high production values. The following 'Is Love Forever' reinforces this impression, with the satisfyingly phat thump of Jim Eno's typically restrained drumming, which is a constant presence, right through to the shuddering groove of closer 'Nobody Gets Me But You'. Only the excellent 'Trouble Comes Running' sounds wilfully lo-fi, the clattering drums confined entirely to the left channel with the scratchy guitar to the right. An irresistibly catchy racket is it too; and if the song perhaps only really stands out by virtue of its low production values, then this is only because such a high quality of songwriting is sustained for the duration of Transference.

Looking beyond the production, there isn't a great deal to distinguish Transference from other Spoon albums. The warbly synths from 'Before Destruction' return to lend the chorus of 'Mystery Zone' a psychedelic pop haziness and 'Who Makes Your Money' a warm sensuality. It hardly amounts to a bold new musical direction. Minus the classicist pop flourishes which adorned its predecessor, it is certainly a less immediate record. The most accessible moment is undoubtedly the piano heavy old school R'n'B stomp of 'Written In Reverse', with Daniel's pipes switching between a Prince-style falsetto and a hoarse snarl. This and 'I Saw the Light', with its descending melody and epiphanic chorus, form a swaggering centrepiece, although the latter track is more memorable for its sudden change of pace from grinding metallic guitars to a swift motorik pulse.

On first few listens Transference might leave some a little cold, especially those who first came to Spoon through Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. It's hard to pin down exactly what the emotions at play are, partly attributable to the ambiguously casual musical and vocal delivery. 'Goodnight Laura' and 'Out Go the Lights', however, provide a bit of an emotional one-two. The former, a gorgeous piano ballad, finds Daniel at his most earnest, cooing tenderly to the titular Laura "You close your eyes and slow yourself and let the worry leave you, and let go of out it all just for this evening." 'Out Go the Lights' meanwhile declares an admiration for the classic 'The Underdog'-figure over melancholic chiming guitar.

Generally, however, you need to dig a little deeper to find pathos. Closer 'Nobody Gets Me But You' is an appropriate culmination of Transference's strengths in this respect: crowd noises, fragmented guitar and bursts of piano shatter the restraint of the mechanistic beat and bass groove in poignant reflection of Daniel's desperation to articulate himself, expressed in lines like "Nobody gets what I say, must be some way to convey it."

Transference won't stand out as a landmark album for the Texan four-piece, but such is the overall quality of that back catalogue this is by no means a slight. It would be a horrible shame for Transference to be underestimated as a result of existing in the shadows of a more ostensibly POP record like Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, because Transference doesn't want for melodies or hooks. Spoon are equally as enjoyable, and perhaps that bit more intriguing, when they are a little bit harder to fathom. Plus, to put it simply, there ain't a duff track to be found here.

8 / 10 (DIS)

[alex gardner]

Spoon are a pretty consistent bunch. Consistent in sound and pretty darned consistent in quality. Since their 1996 debut Telephono they have gradually refined the Pixies-indebted indie rock of that record into something simultaneously more pop-savvy and complex with their neat use of production tricks an increasingly distinctive trait. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, from 2007, saw Spoon reach their apex in this regard; a record where auditory adventurousness (see 'The Ghost of You Lingers') and pop nous ('The Underdog') not only sat comfortably side by side, but where the former actually served the needs of the latter, as on the modernised Motown of 'You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb'

While Britt Daniel has described Transference as a consciously "uglier" album than its predecessor, opening track 'Before Destruction' allays any fears that Spoon might have succumb to the classic pitfall of confusing ludditism with authenticity/raw energy. Sure, Daniel's voice and the acoustic guitar that forms the basis of the songs verses are relatively ragged around the edges, but the warbly Beach House-style synth drones and dreamily layered backing vocals are more suggestive of a continuation of Spoon's typically high production values. The following 'Is Love Forever' reinforces this impression, with the satisfyingly phat thump of Jim Eno's typically restrained drumming, which is a constant presence, right through to the shuddering groove of closer 'Nobody Gets Me But You'. Only the excellent 'Trouble Comes Running' sounds wilfully lo-fi, the clattering drums confined entirely to the left channel with the scratchy guitar to the right. An irresistibly catchy racket is it too; and if the song perhaps only really stands out by virtue of its low production values, then this is only because such a high quality of songwriting is sustained for the duration of Transference.

Looking beyond the production, there isn't a great deal to distinguish Transference from other Spoon albums. The warbly synths from 'Before Destruction' return to lend the chorus of 'Mystery Zone' a psychedelic pop haziness and 'Who Makes Your Money' a warm sensuality. It hardly amounts to a bold new musical direction. Minus the classicist pop flourishes which adorned its predecessor, it is certainly a less immediate record. The most accessible moment is undoubtedly the piano heavy old school R'n'B stomp of 'Written In Reverse', with Daniel's pipes switching between a Prince-style falsetto and a hoarse snarl. This and 'I Saw the Light', with its descending melody and epiphanic chorus, form a swaggering centrepiece, although the latter track is more memorable for its sudden change of pace from grinding metallic guitars to a swift motorik pulse.

On first few listens Transference might leave some a little cold, especially those who first came to Spoon through Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. It's hard to pin down exactly what the emotions at play are, partly attributable to the ambiguously casual musical and vocal delivery. 'Goodnight Laura' and 'Out Go the Lights', however, provide a bit of an emotional one-two. The former, a gorgeous piano ballad, finds Daniel at his most earnest, cooing tenderly to the titular Laura "You close your eyes and slow yourself and let the worry leave you, and let go of out it all just for this evening." 'Out Go the Lights' meanwhile declares an admiration for the classic 'The Underdog'-figure over melancholic chiming guitar.

Generally, however, you need to dig a little deeper to find pathos. Closer 'Nobody Gets Me But You' is an appropriate culmination of Transference's strengths in this respect: crowd noises, fragmented guitar and bursts of piano shatter the restraint of the mechanistic beat and bass groove in poignant reflection of Daniel's desperation to articulate himself, expressed in lines like "Nobody gets what I say, must be some way to convey it."

Transference won't stand out as a landmark album for the Texan four-piece, but such is the overall quality of that back catalogue this is by no means a slight. It would be a horrible shame for Transference to be underestimated as a result of existing in the shadows of a more ostensibly POP record like Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, because Transference doesn't want for melodies or hooks. Spoon are equally as enjoyable, and perhaps that bit more intriguing, when they are a little bit harder to fathom. Plus, to put it simply, there ain't a duff track to be found here.

8 / 10 (DIS)

read this over and maybe you can learn a thing or two about the english language. you are gay.

spoon is great and i am excited to see them this year.

[Caligula]

are you drunk or what ?

[alex gardner]

are you drunk or what ?

no.

[Caligula]

the fuck are you talkin about then ?

[Monklish]

ITT: Two jerkoffs arguing without anything in particular to say to each other.

[alex gardner]

ITT: Two jerkoffs arguing without anything in particular to say to each other.

and the third jerkoff jumps in to show who the king of teh internetz is.

[Devin the Dude]

this is how you guys start your morning..

[Caligula]

ITT: Two jerkoffs arguing without anything in particular to say to each other.

http://brendancalling.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/middle_finger.jpg

[ZackQ]

Their new album isn't anything unexpected. A few really good, Spoon songs. And some filler. Overall very good. I've listened to it three times and it's growing on me.