Spoon - Kill The Moonlight (Merge, 2002)

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?