Spoon

Spoon waltz into the room to the tune of something off of Ziggy Stardust, while also dipping into The White Album's tough side. Over the course of the record, the band juggles with rock 'n' roll disco ("I Turn My Camera On") and jangling perfect pop ("Sister Jack"). A muscular, undeniably great album.

Austin quartet Spoon turned out workmanlike indie-rock records for eight years, until
2002's irresistible, groove-driven Kill the Moonlight took them to another level. Tracks like
"My Mathematical Mind," on their new album, Gimme Fiction, recapture what made
Moonlight great: retro-leaning piano melodies, simple two-beat rhythms and Britt Daniel's
cocky, deadpan vocals. Elsewhere the band veers into vastly different territory:... More >

I wish this was still a world where the right guitar noise and a heaping helping of hooks were sustenance enough. But though I can imagine putting this on at year's end and remembering every song with a kind of surprised admiration, I can't imagine doing it any sooner--or any later either. Until their next album, anyway. This one's selling, so there'll be another. (Grade - B+)