Spoon - Transference poill

oill lol

so the original Transference title was screwed up, so why not the poll itself. i see my hands were over to the left one key stroke.

anyways, i think i'm voting "The Mystery Zone" but going to play this week and see

mystery zone but this record is still pretty disappointing

holy fuck this was two years ago?

never really listened to it, which is the first spoon record i can say that about.

Before Destruction 61
Is Love Forever? 66
The Mystery Zone 64
Who Makes Your Money 52
Written in Reverse 78
I Saw the Light 69
Trouble Comes Running 76
Goodnight Laura 74
Out Go the Lights 71
Got Nuffin 57
Nobody Gets Me But You 54

hm, my playcounts seem pretty accurate. except that 'nobody' is way better than that. maybe i'll vote for 'out go the lights' though.

There's a moment on Mystery Zone where it feels like the song should end, but then they just keep going for a minute or two. Bothered me a lot when the record was new but I don't mind it now. That said, it's still not my favorite on the record. Voted "Who Makes Your Money" because if all his cooing.

This is as good as Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. seriously.

i will have to disagree, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is their best record while Transference is possible their worst since Girls Can Tell

that being said it's still a great album, it is just the Spoon bar has been set so high

http://devonrecordclub.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/spoon-–-waiting-for-the-kid-to-come-out-transference-–-round-8-nick’s-selection/

I voted for Who Makes Your Money, btw; but it could have been any one of several; Written In Reverse, I Saw The Light, Trouble Comes Runnin', Out Go The Lights, Before Destruction, The Mystery Zone. I love this record.

Was all set to rep for Nobody Gets Me But You, then I realised I was thinking of They Never Got You :/

i think this is my second fav spoon album after series of sneaks.
Trouble Comes Running

easy vote for who makes yr money

Mystery Zone - although recently Trouble Comes Runnin' has been my go-to track.

just remembered this album a couple days ago, still like the tossed-off, polished demo aspect of it.

hey, someone kind of fixed the title

thanks whoever it was

Played this again over the holidayzzzzzzzz.

"Got Nuffin."

Love this, voted for Trouble Comes Running. Hidden track Mean Red Spider might've been my 2nd choice.

i just watched this game on DVR as i was out looking for a new place to live

haha, wrong thread

i thought the name of this album was QUOTE Transference UNQUOTE

I saw the light. It's about the piano chords. But so pleased this poll exists because this album ha so many great deliberate little moments that sound like brilliant mistakes

I love this album and I'm having a real hard time picking one song. I've listened to it twice now and every time a song finishes I'm thinking, "okay I'll vote for that one" but then thirty seconds into the next track I'm changing my mind.

this is the best spoon album fyi

i voted Trouble Comes Running

i have to say, tho, i am shocked at some of the comments here. best Spoon album? worst Spoon album? to me, this is squarely in the middle of the pack, a welcome return to the sloppy brilliance of Sneaks and a strong effort after the twin shit sandwiches of Gimme and Ga Ga. I'd rank it behind LPs 1-3 but ahead of 4-6.

you don't make any sense.

'out go the lights' is wonderful

My Mathematical Mind is better than all of these.

I'd rank this below all their albums apart from Gimme Fiction and the first one but there are still three tracks I love unconditionally:

The Mystery Zone
Out Go the Lights
Goodnight Laura

That little effect on the rhythm guitar in 'Mystery Zone' is so great, with the echo/reverb on the upstroke of the chord (or something, I'm terrible at describing stuff like that). Love those sorts of details.

good lord there are some awful opinions itt

takes a serious set of stones to swoop in and say that without offering your own opinion.

not really, you just have to type a sentence and click post

Yeah, this is the internet. It takes no stones to do anything.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

"Out Go the Lights"4life.

Written in Reverse

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

wow, some insane zeroes here

2. Is Love Forever? 0

travesty.

sad turnout on this one

fits the record

surprised at high finish for the two light songs

I went through a phase for a while where I COULD NOT STOP LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM, and it was the first Spoon album I "got"

And then suddenly nothing about it worked for me anymore, the manic was gone.

i'm surprised no one had a deep pure love for 'goodnight laura'

I went through a phase for a while where I COULD NOT STOP LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM, and it was the first Spoon album I "got"

And then suddenly nothing about it worked for me anymore, the manic was gone.

You're doing this in reverse.

I was disappointed by this album when it first came out; I warmed to it over time but still rarely put it on when there are at least three other Spoon albums I like more.

Today I put it on and am surprised how much I like it. In retrospect it feels like the last truly excellent Spoon album, concluding the run that began with Girls Can Tell. The albums after this one are all good too but not at the level of their 00s material.

Some ex-girlfriend, call her Heather...

I like it better than I did nine (!) years ago when it struck me as desiccated, but Hot Thoughts is my favorite Spoon since 2005. It's sexy.

i feel it's the successor to kill the moonlight with all the studio trickery. i'd also agree it's the last great spoon album, the last few have been really forgettable

There's a moment on Mystery Zone where it feels like the song should end, but then they just keep going for a minute or two. Bothered me a lot when the record was new but I don't mind it now. That said, it's still not my favorite on the record. Voted "Who Makes Your Money" because if all his cooing.
― scott pgwp (pgwp), Friday, January 13, 2012 12:10 AM (seven years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

and wtf this is the best part of the song and why it's the best song on it

To my ears they've never released a great album, but a series of consistently good ones -- which is fine by me.

They would have a ridiculously strong greatest hits. Also New Pornographers and TV On The Radio too.

any New Pornos comp would have to heavily favor the first few records. Not a problem with Spoon.

Still their best album. Every so often, I play just "The Mystery Zone" > "Who Makes Your Money" > "Written in Reverse" b/c it's a perfect three track run. The latter is my favorite on the album (& an easy top 5 Spoon track to these ears).

Yep, last great Spoon record. Front to back.

surprised by how much love this album is getting. i was under the impression that most thought this was their first misstep since Girls Can Tell. i actually think They Want My Soul is a superior album to this one, when you have songs like "Rainy Taxi," "Inside Out" and "New York Kiss" on an album you have a pretty solid album and then you also have "Do You" and Rent I Pay?" i was of the thought that Hot Thoughts was their first misstep since the run but now i don't believe that. the weaker tracks like "Pink Up" or "Us" are actually great songs, just took me some time to fully digest them. they have not misstep yet and i hope they continue this run, fun band.

i'm seeing them next month with Beck...interestingly i did both the Spoon artist poll and the Beck artist poll on ILM and Spoon got more ballots. not sure what that means but threw it out there as i just looked. Beck is obviously way bigger.

"New York Kiss" is amazing, sounds great in the car and on the radio.

The sexiest song Spoon has ever released:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUSdDIspy_A

^^Great song.

Girls Can Tell has the sexiest overall vibe/sound imho

it's like the soundtrack for a never-made neo-noir

and wtf this is the best part of the song and why it's the best song on it

― global tetrahedron, Tuesday, June 18, 2019 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I recanted that opinion

any New Pornos comp would have to heavily favor the first few records. Not a problem with Spoon.

― Simon H., Tuesday, June 18, 2019 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

New Pornos dipped for a couple albums but Whiteout Conditions is super excellent. They have five outstanding albums and two decent ones. Spoon’s batting average slightly higher but both are probably my favorite rock bands of this century and especially the aughts.

They would have a ridiculously strong greatest hits. Also New Pornographers and TV On The Radio too.

― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, June 18, 2019 7:52 PM (yesterday)

Et voilà:
https://pitchfork.com/news/spoon-announce-greatest-hits-album-share-new-song-no-bullets-spent-listen/

Everything Hits at Once tracklist::

01 I Turn My Camera On
02 Do You
03 Don’t You Evah
04 Inside Out
05 The Way We Get By
06 The Underdog
07 Hot Thoughts
08 I Summon You
09 Rent I Pay
10 You Got Yr Cherry Bomb
11 Got Nuffin
12 Everything Hits at Once
13 No Bullets Spent

They would have a ridiculously strong greatest hits.

― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, June 18, 2019 12:52 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

You spoke it into existence!

https://pitchfork.com/news/spoon-announce-greatest-hits-album-share-new-song-no-bullets-spent-listen/

Excellent.

In the streaming era, though, do we need greatest hits compilations? Serious question. Maybe for another thread.

Don’t love “Got Nuffin” as the Transference choice, and there’s one too many from They Want My Soul

that's got at least 3 songs in common with what I'd come up with so good job i guess

xp I imagine this is mainly for vinyl purchasers

Not sure they're taking advantage of the CD format here LOL. and where is Jonathon Fisk, The Beast and Dragon, Adored, Sister Jack and Trouble Comes Running?

I could've sworn "They Want My Soul" and "New York Kiss" were singles.

also bummer that they're not acknowledging the real early stuff, 'metal detektor' would at least make the cut on my POXII

Looks like one of those comps where 'greatest hits' = 'songs that have been licensed the most'

the new song sounds like a ga ga ga ga ga outtake. it's alright

i'm seeing them next month with Beck...interestingly i did both the Spoon artist poll and the Beck artist poll on ILM and Spoon got more ballots. not sure what that means but threw it out there as i just looked. Beck is obviously way bigger.

― Bee OK, Tuesday, June 18, 2019 8:07 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

thinking about checking out this tour too in August, let us know how it goes.

I always rate their classic album run as starting with A Series of Sneaks, shame they couldnt find a slot for one of those tracks.

I think at one point in time they would have been served well by a comp of their EPs & non-album singles, I rate the Soft Effects EP pretty high. But it seems like they stopped doing those after a certain point, and the moment's probably passed for people who would be interested in hearing pre-Gimme Fiction material from them.

I imagine this is mainly for vinyl purchasers

Yup. It would have been nice to have a more substantial CD version (or 2LP option). I don't have any Spoon on vinyl but I'd consider shelling out for a decent comp; this is a little too skinny.

not to mention "The Underdog" and "Got Nuffin'" wouldn't have made my cut.

They couldn’t do a greatest hits without The Underdog

This is great and probably how a lot of us come to love The Cure and New Order.

The idea of doing a best-of came to us a couple times,” Britt Daniel said in a statement. “First I wasn’t sure how I felt about it but at some point I remembered that when I got my first Cure record it was Standing on a Beach. When I got my first New Order record, it was Substance. That was how I met those bands, and I moved backwards from there but I still listen to those comps. I love a greatest hits LP when it’s done well. It can be a thing unto itself.”

Later this year, Spoon are heading out on tour with Beck and Cage the Elephant.

They should have called it Got Any Coke? The Very Best of Spoon

Found an old "Best-Of" tracklist I proposed back in 2014 (hey, I matched the first track):

https://i.imgur.com/oh9PuhD.jpg

mine would be something like

metal detektor
everything hits at once
jonathon fisk
paper tiger
the beast and dragon adored
you got yr cherry bomb
finer feelings
out go the lights
inside out
do you
can i sit next to you
tear it down

I'm listening to old Spoon now on headphones, just heard "Metal Detektor" -- it's such a f'in good song...

it's a lot simpler than what came after but so effective

same goes for 'advance cassette'

Circling back to the thread topic -- Transference is actually my favorite Spoon album, though I don't think many of the tracks work so well in isolation (except "Trouble Comes Running" -- which is something of an atypical Spoon song, and an all-time rocker, IMO ).

yeah agreed it's not much of a singles record

so:

Girls Can Tell - 1
Kill the Moonlight - 1
Gimme Fiction - 2
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - 3
Transference - 1
They Want My Soul - 3
Hot Thoughts - 1
New Song - 1

they should have spread it out or had a second CD/Record like other have said. way too much is missing, like only one song from Kill the Moonlight really?

"Got Nuffin" is great, full of hooks, don't get the indifference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhS7OS1WcmU

We should poll this.

I haven't really kept up since Telephono -- is it wrong to think "Don't Buy the Realistic" should have been included?

This thread revival sent me back on a Spoon kick, revisiting most of their stuff. For me, they're one of those bands that have a few great tracks per album (see my above playlist!), and the rest I can do without... the exception is Transference. There's something about this album that makes it extremely "sticky" for me... every track keeps me hooked in. It's full of all these pleasurable moments and musical ideas -- in particular, terrific guitar parts throughout.

I remember playing the CD for the first time, and snapping to attention when that gtr lines comes in in "Who Makes Your Money" (at around 1:38; you know the one) -- I was like, "Oh damn... this is gonna be one of those albums."

Also, "The Mystery Zone" is their only "funky" song where the "funkiness"really works for me... I've already praised "Trouble Comes Running" to the rafters (above)... etc.

It really has a different sound from all their other Merge albums. I can't really put my finger on why -- many of its elements appear elsewhere, as well -- but even the usual "stiffness" and not-quite-"rock" feeling of Eno's drumming doesn't become tiring to me on this one. It's almost like Transference was recorded by a somehow better, cooler, more interesting band than the other albums... or there was just something special in the water this time, I dunno.

Transference, to me, feels like a return to the Spoon of A Series of Sneaks. More restless, noisier, stranger production choices. A little more of a sketchbook feel. I don't think it's a coincidence that it's their first self-produced album, and their first without Mike McCarthy to reign in their weirder tendencies.

That's the Spoon I like. To me, it'll always be: 1/2. Sneaks/Telephono, 3/4. Girls Can Tell/Kill the Moonlight, 5. Telephono ... then everything else.

So to answer xpost's question: No, not at all. Same goes for "All the Negatives" and "Plastic Mylar"

Did you mean 1/2. Sneaks/Transference? If you did I totally agree

Ga Ga and Transference are where I amicably parted ways with Spoon, I like them both fine but they seemed to have pushed their sound as far out as it could go with Gimme Fiction imho, everything after that has seemed like variations on a theme.

Dunno why hot thoughts is so underrated here. Album effing grooves imo

It's one of my favourites of theirs. Never listened to A Series of Sneaks and Telephono though.

Did you mean 1/2. Sneaks/Transference? If you did I totally agree

― nate woolls, Monday, June 24, 2019 1:40 AM (six hours ago)

No, sorry, I typo'd. I meant: 1/2. Sneaks/Telephono. 3/4. Girls/Kill. 5. Transference.

Admittedly, I should probably revisit Telephono. It's been a long time.

https://www.stereogum.com/2069817/spoon-transference-turns-10/franchises/the-anniversary/

hard to believe the last "beginning of a new decade" was ten years ago.

this album is great, the problem is it followed the three headed beast.

https://www.brooklynvegan.com/shoegaze-cult-heroes-drop-nineteens-discuss-5-albums-that-influenced-their-first-lp-in-30-years/

Greg Ackell – 5 Albums that helped shape Drop Nineteens’ Hard Light

Spoon – Transference

Spoon. Could have picked any one of their albums as an inspiration for Hard Light. I also could have made this list five Spoon albums, because there’s no band I listen to or study more. But then I’d have to leave five Spoon albums out. Britt sounds a little exasperated on this one, coming down from heights of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga probably. And it’s his least favorite Spoon album. He does seem a little lost. But it’s a very honest album (as a result?). It’s still the only album they self-produced. That line “Times that we met before we met”-just smart as hell. “Out Go the Lights” and “Nobody Gets Me But You” have the kind of outros that make outro heavy bands (like my own) British racing green with envy. It’s hard to make a great album, not sure I’ve made one yet. Now imagine making TEN albums without any being the slightest bit short of great. They didn’t even slip one mediocre one in. Spoon.

I think I own a Drop Nineteen album but never really warmed up to them too much. Anyways, found this and agree with his take.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdMI5w_RVLI