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Posted

Fuck yeah. New Spoon record coming in February, "Lucifer on the Sofa."  First track, "The Hardest Cut" slams and goes hard.  It sounds like a Queens of the Stone Age song filtered through Spoon.  Badass.

Can't wait for this record.

 

 

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Posted
23 hours ago, hullabelew said:

Oh mommmaaaaaaa.  

 

Hell yeah. I've listened to this song quite frequently over the past several days.  I will 100% take a full album of stuff like this from Spoon. Can't wait to hear the rest.

Posted

I still maintain hope they release at least one album that goes through the moon.  They've done well, they're a long way from broke, but man it would be nice to see over 25 years of insanely consistent quality rewarded with massive sales.

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

I still maintain hope they release at least one album that goes through the moon.  They've done well, they're a long way from broke, but man it would be nice to see over 25 years of insanely consistent quality rewarded with massive sales.

Yeah that would be great, but I just feel like that time has passed. I mean, does *anybody* do something like today, except for like Beyonce or some other "mega-star?"

With the industry fragmented and streaming services the norm now, I feel like Spoon is about as "successful" as you can get for a non-mega star.  They probably sell tons of vinyl, consistently sell out theaters or small arenas on tour and live pretty comfortable lives I imagine. 

It sucks that they never had more "mainstream" success, but the fact that bands like Spoon or Wilco or others can just keep churning out great records and touring on their own terms is pretty cool, IMO. 

Edited by oSuJeff97
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Posted

Well, a mark of increased popularity would be transitioning to larger venues with larger paydays.  They're still kind of a large club, small theater band, outside of their festival shows.  It's still possible to have a "hit", which might not translate to huge streaming revenue or anything like that, but could land big ad promotion (think Black Pumas "Colors" and Target).  There's room for more earnings, that's for sure.

Posted

I may not be remembering correctly, but wasn't "The Underdog" a fairly big hit for them? Seems like it was on a episode in one of the last few seasons of ER or something?

Posted
16 minutes ago, oSuJeff97 said:

It sucks that they never had more "mainstream" success, but the fact that bands like Spoon or Wilco or others can just keep churning out great records and touring on their own terms is pretty cool, IMO. 

Wilco is bigger than Spoon but I guess they're fairly similar. YHF has sold almost 700,000 copies and they won 2 Grammys for A Ghost Is Born. 

Posted (edited)
56 minutes ago, oSuJeff97 said:

I may not be remembering correctly, but wasn't "The Underdog" a fairly big hit for them? 

It was.  It got them on SNL, along with most of the late night shows, many of which they've done multiple times.  But it wasn't a mega-hit or anything.

Frankly, I think it's just about their worst song.  It has a bad chord/melody disconnect in one verse that drives me nuts ("it can't all be wedding cake").  I'm surprised they put it out that way.  I've spent a fair amount of time in the studio with them and they are absolutely meticulous.  There is zero chance it was unintentional, so it's just one of those differences of opinion, and mine matters not a bit.

Edited by jimmyjazz
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Posted
56 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

It was.  It got them on SNL, along with most of the late night shows, many of which they've done multiple times.  But it wasn't a mega-hit or anything.

Frankly, I think it's just about their worst song.  It has a bad chord/melody disconnect in one verse that drives me nuts ("it can't all be wedding cake").  I'm surprised they put it out that way.  I've spent a fair amount of time in the studio with them and they are absolutely meticulous.  There is zero chance it was unintentional, so it's just one of those differences of opinion, and mine matters not a bit.

Yeah it's one of their songs I listen to the least. In fact, the last time I saw them in concert pre-pandemic... I think probably on the Hot Thoughts tour... they played it toward the end of the show, and I was like, "oh yeah... I forgot about this song"... LOL.

Posted
1 hour ago, ztejas said:

Wilco is bigger than Spoon but I guess they're fairly similar. YHF has sold almost 700,000 copies and they won 2 Grammys for A Ghost Is Born. 

Sure, but I would say neither are "household" names. People who have been into "Indie rock" (or whatever you want to call it) for the past 20 years know them both, but the "general public" is probably not very aware of either of them, even if they have maybe heard "The Underdog" or a Wilco song or two in commercials or movies.

Posted
20 minutes ago, oSuJeff97 said:

Sure, but I would say neither are "household" names. People who have been into "Indie rock" (or whatever you want to call it) for the past 20 years know them both, but the "general public" is probably not very aware of either of them, even if they have maybe heard "The Underdog" or a Wilco song or two in commercials or movies.

I think Wilco was definitely close to a household name in the 2000s. Again - YHF was way bigger than anything Spoon has done. I mean they were headlining music festivals and shit. But my perspective is undoubtedly warped growing up in Austin with white, fairly hip parents. 

Ultimately it's a decent comp and proper characterization of the two bands. I think Tweedy is pretty made but some of the other guys aren't celebrities any more than the guys in Spoon whether they have a bit more in their checking account or not. No one is stopping John Stirratt or Glenn Kotche to get their autographs (and yes I had to look those names up haha).

Posted
9 minutes ago, ztejas said:

I think Wilco was definitely close to a household name in the 2000s. Again - YHF was way bigger than anything Spoon has done. I mean they were headlining music festivals and shit. But my perspective is undoubtedly warped growing up in Austin with white, fairly hip parents. 

Ultimately it's a decent comp and proper characterization of the two bands. I think Tweedy is pretty made but some of the other guys aren't celebrities any more than the guys in Spoon whether they have a bit more in their checking account or not. No one is stopping John Stirratt or Glenn Kotche to get their autographs (and yes I had to look those names up haha).

Glen Kotche played snare drum in my DCI corps (Cavaliers).  I was a few years ahead of him, but we've chatted about those days.

Ironically, Wilco and Spoon share (shared?) the same management.  It's a niche.  A solid, income-producing niche.

Posted
9 minutes ago, ztejas said:

I think Wilco was definitely close to a household name in the 2000s. Again - YHF was way bigger than anything Spoon has done. I mean they were headlining music festivals and shit. But my perspective is undoubtedly warped growing up in Austin with white, fairly hip parents. 

Ultimately it's a decent comp and proper characterization of the two bands. I think Tweedy is pretty made but some of the other guys aren't celebrities any more than the guys in Spoon whether they have a bit more in their checking account or not. No one is stopping John Stirratt or Glenn Kotche to get their autographs (and yes I had to look those names up haha).

Yeah Wilco is definitely bigger and even people unfamiliar with indie rock, etc., may have at least heard the name even if they can't identify any songs. 

I'm also basing on the fact that my parents have no earthly idea about either band, lol. 

LOL being a Wilco super fan I would NOT have had to look those names up. :D In fact, the last time Wilco played in Tulsa pre-pandemic my buddies and I were at a bar near where they played and Pat Sanstone came in and just sat by himself having a cocktail. 

There may have been like two people in the bar who knew who he was.  I, being one of the two, walked right up proceeded to chat his ear off.  He was a super nice guy.

Posted

can't imagine they're ever going to top gimme fiction. no one buys records anymore and superstar bands aren't made based on the quality of their music. spoon is very well known by people who listen to "indie" music, but they're never going to be an arena band.  

Posted
11 minutes ago, stc said:

can't imagine they're ever going to top gimme fiction. no one buys records anymore and superstar bands aren't made based on the quality of their music. spoon is very well known by people who listen to "indie" music, but they're never going to be an arena band.  

I think They Want My Soul is their best album. 

@oSuJeff97 you'll get a kick out of this. On Spotify - Wilco has ~2,055,000 monthly listeners. Spoon? ~2,033,000. Good call.

However - Wilco is further removed from their peak popularity and coincided less with the streaming generation. So it maybe isn't the most accurate picture. But as of now they seem to enjoy very similar popularity. 

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Posted (edited)

Man it would be tough for me to rank Spoon albums.  I think Kill the Moonlight is still my favorite and their best? But I can make arguments for Gimme Fiction, Ga Ga Ga Ga, They Want my Soul.... hell maybe even Transference, which has grown on me tremendously, lol.  Oh wait... Girls Can Tell is awesome, too.  OK I really probably can't pick a "best." :D 

EDIT - How the FUCK is Transference 11 years old!?!? I still think of that as one of their "newer" albums. Fuck I'm old. 

Edited by oSuJeff97
Posted (edited)

thought the same thing about they want my soul...2014 wtf. 

i think girls can tell is my favorite but gimme fiction is their best. really there's no wrong choice. 

Edited by stc
Posted
22 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

It was.  It got them on SNL, along with most of the late night shows, many of which they've done multiple times.  But it wasn't a mega-hit or anything.

Frankly, I think it's just about their worst song.  It has a bad chord/melody disconnect in one verse that drives me nuts ("it can't all be wedding cake").  I'm surprised they put it out that way.  I've spent a fair amount of time in the studio with them and they are absolutely meticulous.  There is zero chance it was unintentional, so it's just one of those differences of opinion, and mine matters not a bit.

I had never noticed this.  Great catch.  I started looking up live version and in some of them, in the line before "it can't all be wedding cake"  he sings horribly off key.....has to be on purpose to match the sentiment of the line.  Brilliant stuff.  

Posted
3 hours ago, hullabelew said:

I had never noticed this.  Great catch.  I started looking up live version and in some of them, in the line before "it can't all be wedding cake"  he sings horribly off key.....has to be on purpose to match the sentiment of the line.  Brilliant stuff.  

I never noticed it either... and now I can never NOT hear it, lol.

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Posted

In the 1st verse, transitioning from the first half to the second, he goes from Bm to Em to C.  The line "I hear the call of a lifetime ring" (or whatever) is sung over the Em.

In the 2nd verse, he goes straight from Bm to C, and the melody doesn't work.  "It can't all be wedding cake" is sung over C.  It doesn't work.

Drives me nuts.

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  • 1 month later...
Posted
5 minutes ago, MidTexHorn said:

This really really makes me sad. This was going to be my most fun NYE in years. Ugh.

+1, I'm supposed to be driving down from Dallas for this NYE plan.  REALLY pissed this plan blew up.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Love “Wild” and excited to hear more.

And JJ I really need to know more about your DCI days. I’m a massive fan of Cavaliers (and drum and bugle in general). I was a trumpet player but never committed and probably wasn’t good enough for that level. I don’t know if it’s own thread but I love it and respect the shit out of anyone that did jt, especially at the level of the Cavaliers.

And love drummers who grew up in that rudimentary world (Gadd not least of which, but I love Glenn’s Wilco contributions too, style of which is unique).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Posted
1 hour ago, ohchaucer said:

Love “Wild” and excited to hear more.

And JJ I really need to know more about your DCI days. I’m a massive fan of Cavaliers (and drum and bugle in general). I was a trumpet player but never committed and probably wasn’t good enough for that level. I don’t know if it’s own thread but I love it and respect the shit out of anyone that did jt, especially at the level of the Cavaliers.

And love drummers who grew up in that rudimentary world (Gadd not least of which, but I love Glenn’s Wilco contributions too, style of which is unique).

Not a lot to say . . . we weren't quite great at the time, on the cusp of the modern championship style, bringing a cohesive classical and "modern" classical style to the field instead of the mishmash that had been going on for years.  We focused and excelled at visual, guard, and percussion, our horn line (I was on French horn) lagged far behind, but we knew it, we just didn't have the talent or instruction.  That all changed soon after I aged out.  I will say this -- the brotherhood was fully intact and that is what I remember most.  Nobody can ever take that from us.

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Posted

So without realizing it I think I own more Spoon albums than any other band. Never seen them live (obviously want to), honestly wouldn't even jump out as one of my top bands if I didn't sit and think about it. But there's something about them that I love. I can just listen to it any time.

Good mood? Spoon hits the spot. Bad mood? Spoon sounds good. Want something quiet? Spoon. Something loud? Spoon. They just kinda fit every vibe. The only other band I can think of that does that for me is The Beatles. 

Posted
On 1/11/2022 at 11:46 AM, jimmyjazz said:

Bit of a U2 vibe in that one . . . dig it.

 

4 hours ago, Shoxthemonkey said:

Very much, this.

Y’all trying to ruin it for me?

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Posted
6 minutes ago, ohchaucer said:

I get the U2 thing. And also a little bit of “Me in Honey” by REM.

There are differences, the fast guitar pulse on the Spoon song is strummed, whereas The Edge would have used a delay, but it's still pretty identifiable.  Drum beat is pretty Mullen-ish, too.  Gospel-tinged piano chords, etc.

I didn't intend it as an insult, it's not a ripoff, it's just a subtle vibe I get.  I mean, Spoon has channeled so many artists over the years -- Pixies, The Wipers, Guided By Voices, The Kinks, Prince, The Rolling Stones -- all of it filtered through Britt Daniel's lens.  I think it's one of the things that makes them so great, his musical knowledge is encyclopedic and he can work in a wide variety of styles and always make it his.

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Posted
his musical knowledge is encyclopedic and he can work in a wide variety of styles and always make it his.


Agree totally and I wasn’t being flippant about the REM thing either (although that might just be because the chorus hook vocally is similar).


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Posted
his musical knowledge is encyclopedic and he can work in a wide variety of styles and always make it his.


Agree totally and I wasn’t being flippant about the REM thing either (although that might just be because the chorus hook vocally is similar).


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Posted
59 minutes ago, ohchaucer said:

Agree totally and I wasn’t being flippant about the REM thing either (although that might just be because the chorus hook vocally is similar).

 

Sorry, I failed to trim that part of your post from my quote.  I hear what you're saying.  Plus, B-52 chick, so automatically awesome.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted
19 hours ago, JohnnyRage said:

Any good? I still almost exclusively listen to hard media.

The first two tracks are very good, IMO.

I already have Lucifer on the Sofa pre-ordered on vinyl so really looking forward to hearing the whole thing.

Posted (edited)

I can't think of a more consistent band than Spoon.  I think that's why they're not talked about as much as they should. 

Water is life sustaining and ubiquitous, but you don't talk about it until it has turbidity in it.

Edited by Stringer

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