Spoon - Transference

As Spoon’s sound evolves, one element is always constant: the cool swagger of their rhythm. Much like Penelope Cruz’s hips sway when she walks, the songs on Transference have a confident strut that move coolly with Jim Eno’s drum hits. It’s noticeable across the album, from the bass-heavy funk of “The Mystery Zone” to “Written in Reverse,” where frontman Britt Daniel howls about calling a hearse in a shaggy, world-weary tone. The Austin, Texas natives have fun with “Who Makes Your Money,” a seductive “who’s your daddy” callout to the indie rock generation. On the band’s seventh album, they take their first stab at self-producing to interesting results. In the middle of a song, the snarling guitar will drop out suddenly, or the entire mix will fade into an echoed, distant version of itself. The hooky chorus of “I Saw the Light” rapidly mutates into an eerily melodic bridge. Muddled bass and drums add a nice sludge to “Trouble Comes Running,” the perfect three-minute cure for a bad day. Spoon hasn’t forgotten who they are or how to strut their stuff. And they definitely aren’t afraid of “the mystery zone.”