Divine Fits
My Love Is Real 7''
Merge
2012
Rating: 7 goddamn sweaters out of 10
I'm racking my brain but I can't think of a supergroup in the last few decades that made a lasting impression...I suppose Gorillaz might be the closest, but that was really just Damon Albarn, some fake cartoon band members, and the occasional hip hop guest star. Or maybe Electronic is a better option? That duo Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner always truck me more as just a new band they were in rather than a supergroup proper...it's a distinction that is in the eye of the beholder I suppose. Back in the sixties, those drugged out ding dongs formed these type of bands left and right...Blind Faith, CSNY, etc.
Divine Fits (Britt from Spoon, Dan from Wolf Parade/Handsome Furs, and Sam from New Bomb Turks) made a totally enjoyable record called "A Thing Called Divine Fits," but I couldn't tell you the last time I listened to it. I do know I liked it. The title track of this seven inch can also be found on that release, as is typical in these situations. I suppose the real draw of this wax is the b-side, "I Was Born In A Laundromat," a Camper Van Beethoven cover that is highly enjoyable. Is it worth making an effort to seek this out? If you're really into hearing Britt Daniel sing other people's songs, yes. It is a fine cover, and reminds me that I should try listening to Camper again...they didn't really take in my younger years despite being well regarded by my peers.
Spoon
Someone Something 7''
Merge
2002
Rating: 7 boom screams out of 10
The title song can otherwise be found on the great 2002 Spoon record "Kill the Moonlight." Damn do I love that record, nearly every track is gold. There are actually two b-sides here, "Is This the Last Time?" and "In the Right Place the Right Time." Neither is in the top tier of the band's work, which is probably why they got stashed on the other side of a single and are not on an album proper. But it's still a couple of Spoon tracks from their golden era, so I'll take it.
Spoon
Anticipation 7''
Mag Wheel
2005
Rating: 8 bowing letters out of 10
Surprised to find this Spoon record in the bargain bin. Even more surprised that despite it's limited run, it's not particularly valuable. And lastly, most surprised that "Anticipation" was never on any of their full-lengths, it's a great song that should be heard more widely. This is actually the second pressing - these songs (title track plus b-side "Headz") actually first came out in 1998 circa their amazing "A Series of Sneaks" album. On red vinyl.
Eleanor Friedberger / Spoon
Split 7''
Merge
2014
Rating: 6.5 mini bars out of 10
The first side of this Merge subscription split is Eleanor Friedberger doing a cover of the Yoko Ono song "Open Your Soul To Me." Eleanor is/was a member of Fiery Furnaces - I'll admit I've never been much of a fan of that band or Yoko, so this track didn't do much for me. She has a nice voice and it's a decent enough song, it's just not my bag. On the flip Spoon does a cover of a Fiery Furnaces' song - "Waiting To Know You" - I've never heard the original, but Spoon very much Spoons this one up, I honestly wouldn't have even thought it was a cover if I didn't know better.
Spoon
They Want My Soul
Loma Vista
2014
Rating: 6 depressed orangutans out of 10
I was surely gonna write something deep and insightful about this new Spoon record like I do with all of my reviews, but I just can't. I don't think I care anymore. Not sure if it's the band or me or (most likely) a little of both, but I just haven't given a shit about any of their records since probably 2005's "Gimme Fiction." It still sounds like Spoon though, and it always will as long as Britt Daniel is piloting the ship, but something is missing...it might just be overproduced and not raw enough, or maybe it's more. It's probably no coincidence that their best record is still "Girls Can Tell," and it sounds like it might have been recorded in the janitor's closet of a run-down laundromat.
Most bands can't manage one great album, Spoon has had two or three. This isn't one of them...but it's fine. Totally fine, and forgettable. Does make me want to listen to "Girls Can Tell" or "Kill the Moonlight" though.
Golden Millennium
Golden Millennium 7''
Peek-A-Boo
1999
Rating: 6 black castles out of 10
This Golden Millennium record was the results of a one-off supergroup formed around the fact that a couple of dudes bought gold fleck Les Pauls at the same time and felt they should play some glam rock. Everyone in the band has some sort of pedigree, but the biggest name is Britt Daniel of Spoon. I'm sure everyone involved had a lot of fun doing this, and it was probably fun to see live, but the recording is no more than a hair above average. They play two originals and two covers of glam classics - T-Rex's "20th Century Boy" and Bowie's "Suffragette City."
Divine Fits
Chained to Love 12''
Merge
2013
Rating: 7 healed bruises out of 10
Instead of putting out a 7'' like a normal band, Divine Fits have released a 12'' with both songs on the A side. I suppose that makes the songs easier to listen to on the vinyl, but it's just...weird. I'm additionally confused why the second song is listed first on the sleeve, it's like they are intentionally trying to fuck with my OCD tendencies. Anyways, the songs - much like their full-length, the vibe of the songs seems to directly correlate with who is singing them Dan Boeckner handles the lead on first track "Chained to Love," and to no one's surprise it sounds more or less like a Handsome Furs song. Britt Daniel sings the follow-up track "Ain't That the Way," the better of the two songs which sounds like a classic early 2000s Spoon song. If you loved their record, go ahead and check this out, it continues things in that exact same trajectory.
Divine Fits
A Thing Called Divine Fits
Merge
2012
Rating: 7.5 bloody sheds out of 10
Divine Fits, "super group," blah blah blah. I guess anytime you get people from established bands doing a new thing together, the label gets dropped. I don't even know that it's a bad thing or a good thing, it's just...a thing. But when you have two people with very distinctive & well known voices handling all of the vocals - in this case Britt Daniel from Spoon and Dan Boeckner from Handsome Furs & Wolf Parade - it honestly doesn't even feel like a "group," more like a compilation of unheard Spoon and Handsome Furs songs. I'm not even complaining about that, as I love both bands, but anyone coming into this project looking for something new or different is going to be disappointed. I expect this will get a lot of plays out of me though, my love of the Handsome Furs allowing me to pretend this is a new album by them and they didn't really break up.
Spoon
Gimme Fiction
Merge
2005
Rating: 8 ice cube trays out of 10
Although the music on this album makes sense if you’ve followed Spoon
all along, the transformation of this band over the years is quite drastic when comparing their first output to
the more recent. It’s been a gradual change and not one that I find particularly upsetting, but over the years they have slowly morphed from the electrified-acoustic guitar sounds that was their early calling card into a dancebeat-laced
indie-funk band with very minimal guitar work. Any band that fit this description on
paper probably wouldn’t even warrant a listen in my household, but Spoon is so consistently great they are always
given a chance. And despite my general protestations and large dislike for anything that might be remotely
described as “indie funk”, I’m actually really digging this new album and their new sound. I’m sure some fans will be
disgruntled as usual, but tough titties. So put on your dancing shoes, put it on the album's best track “I Turn My Camera On”, and
get down with your bad self.
Spoon
Kill The Moonlight
Merge
2002
Rating: 8 fake tits out of 10
The great thing about some bands and musicians is how they never
seem to allow their sound to remain in one place for too long. A number of bands do this, and Spoon is one
of them. Just when you think you have their sound pigeonholed, they change directions and follow along a different
path. When they broke through many years ago with "Telephono," they received a lot of grief and praise (depending
on your source) for seemingly ripping off the sound of The Pixies. The buzz generated from that album led
them to getting signed to a major label and releasing "A Series of Sneaks," which built on The Pixies influence and
incorporated it with the post punk sounds of the early eighties represented by the likes of Gang of Four and
Wire. This brilliant and under-bought album got them dropped from the major label. A few years pass, and Spoon
ends up on Merge, where they release "Girls Can Tell" in 2001. Not only was the lyrical content more personal
and caustic, documenting their dealings in the industry and life in general, but their sound had been injected with a
healthy dose of pop sensibility. It was hailed by critics as their best work yet.
Their new album, "Kill the Moonlight," is no different. It
too has broken off on a different path. It still retains Spoon’s unique blend of off kilter pop and post-punk, but the
music has a very hollow, stripped down quality to it. Not that it’s bad, as I find it very enjoyable,
just different. It feels as if entire parts of the
instrumentation are missing, and many times the songs are only driven by Britt Daniel’s
voice and a single instrument. Often
times that instrument is an organ, a keyboard, or a bit of piano
- which has been used in previous Spoon songs, but stands out much more dramatically in the new tracks. One of
my favorite songs on the album "Stay Don’t Go" actually uses a human beatbox as the rhythm section. Certainly a great
album by my estimation, but if you’re looking for a sequel to "Girls can Tell" then this ain’t it. But who says it
needs to be?
