Spoon’s latest serving

Spoon

Transference

Merge Records

(01/19/10)

Spoon has been one of Austin's hometown heroes for years. After vocalist Britt Daniel initially teamed up with drummer Jim Eno in 1993, the band quickly started earning critical praise from press and music fans for their easily accessible hybrid of indie and post-punk rock.

Spoon achieved commercial success as songs from their 2005 album, Gimme Fiction, provided the soundtrack to a variety of movies and TV shows. The involvement with popular TV shows like The O.C. and Veronica Mars, and movies such as 17 Again and Cloverfield attracted even more aficionados to Spoon's minimalistic rock.

When a Japanese robot, Keepon, showed off it's dancing skills to the songs "I Turn My Camera On" and "Don't You Evah," Spoon's fandom went viral. According to YouTube, the two videos created by Marek Michalowski of Carnegie Mellon University have received over three million views combined. Daniel even made a brief cameo in the "Don't You Evah" video.

To celebrate the release of their newest album, Transference, Spoon performed at Waterloo Records on January 25th. According to Waterloo Records, 2,000 fans crowded around the small parking lot to enjoy the free performance.

If one thing can be said about Spoon, it's that they're consistent. Transference gives listeners the satisfying fulfillment of more tunes, but hardly updates what Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga did two years ago.

Spoon has been charming music fans with their formulaic indie rock for years. Some people might see this as a sign of unoriginality, but why fix what isn't broken? With Spoon being one of the heavy hitters in the indie music scene for the past 15 plus years, there is no denying that their distinguishable music works for them.

Transference was recorded without the help of a producer, so there are some small but noticeable changes to the standard Spoon sound. Gone are the blaring trumpets of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga's popular single "The Underdog." Instead the guys decided to strip down to the solid guitar rock foundation that was formerly buried underneath extravagant production add-ons.

Though Spoon hasn't added any startling innovations, Transference is proof that a band can still allure fans with the same musical formula, as long as their consistency remains this captivating.