Spoon - They Want My Soul

Spoon
They Want My Soul
5 August 2014
Loma Vista

4 stars out of 5

They Want My Soul is Spoon's eighth LP, and their first since 2010's Transference. The album comes across as the Spoon of old hosting a disco party for a group of Mercury Rev fans. Claiming to have been burned out after Transference, the band took a few years off for the members to do their own things and recharge. The results indicate that the vacation was a success—every track here is a delight, every beat begging to be danced to.

While there are still some classic Spoon indie rock tunes here (“Rainy Taxi,” “They Want My Soul”), much of the record is focused on the groove, whether in programmed or analogue form (“Outlier,” “New York Kiss”). Regardless, They Want My Soul is another great Spoon album, full of great hooks and permeated by Britt Daniel's crackling, soulful delivery. Spoon have always accessed some mythical world between Sam Cooke and Wire, achieving a sound that was part '60s soul, part '70s post-punk and kraut rock (see the bass line for “Rainy Taxi” and compare to Neu!'s “E-Musik” for an example). “Outlier” sees the band incorporating full-on dance music into their arsenal, bringing in the big guns and setting their sights on the dance floor.

Dave Fridmann's production adds some subtle symphonic aspects to Spoon's sound but doesn't interfere too much with the band's established minimalist approach (Deserter's Songs this ain't). They Want My Soul is an essential document in Spoon's career: cool and confident yet at the same time angst-ridden and mournful; hip and danceable yet deep and thoughtful.

reviewed by Richard Krueger