- Audio CD (23 May 2005)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: Limited Edition, Import
- Label: Koch
- ASIN: B00082ZRN0
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Vinyl
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 633,567 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. The Beast And Dragon, Adored |
| 2. Two Sides Of Monsieur Valentine |
| 3. I Turn My Camera On |
| 4. My Mathematical Mind |
| 5. The Delicate Place |
| 6. Sister Jack |
| 7. I Summon You |
| 8. The Infinite Pet |
| 9. Was It You? |
| 10. They Never Got You |
| 11. Merchants Of Soul |
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gimme gimme,
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Gimme Fiction (Audio CD)
Spoon is one of the best, and also the most underappreciated, bands in the wide world of indierock. And after the twin masterpieces of "Girls Can Tell" and "Kill the Moonlight," they had a lot to follow up on. They could have easily rested on their laurels, and produced a new album full of nothing new at all. But they didn't. And the result is worth waiting for. Their newest album, "Gimme Fiction," actually takes that kind of rock and builds on it. Nowherer is it more obvious than in the opener, "The Beast and Dragon, Adored," where lead singer Britt Daniels sounds eerily like John Lennon. If I didn't know that it was actually Daniels, I might have thought that someone found a lost Lennon song that happened to sound like Spoon. It's followed up by a stream of slow-burning rock, with angular guitars and sharp percussion. But Spoon gets to experiment with those different styles too. There's a deep funk vibe in "I Turn My Camera On," but it instantly switches to some piano and drums in "My Mathematical Mind" and the blasts of guitar rock in "Sister Jack." In other words, Spoon has taken the time to experiment. "Gimme Fiction" is more musically lush than "Kill the Moonlight," which was wonderfully stripped-down. But unlike many bands who try to evolve their work, Spoon hasn't lost their edge. There's still a lo-fi, angular sound to their music; it's not quite on the same level as their prior albums, but even "only good" Spoon is the stuff of retro-rock dreams. Since it's Spoon, it's dark and rather dismal. But those lo-fi grooves are so much fun that it's virtually impossible to actually think of them as dark. The riffs are sharp and complex, with lots of little hooks to draw listeners in. They can burn slowly, then rev up into brief blasts. It's backed by unstoppable basslines, acoustic guitar and memorable percussion, with frontman Daniels' moody vocals over it all. Daniels is still in top form in "Gimme Fiction," and it seems that his talents are not running dry. He seems very introspective and thoughtful this time around: "You've got the weight of the world/coming down/like a butterfly," he croons. He even feigns a Prince-like falsetto early on, but somehow the scratchy, flexible sound suits him better. "Gimme Fiction" pokes into some new territory for Spoon, while keeping on safe ground. Dark and fun, catchy and rough, it's a must-have for fans of good rock.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
8/10. "Mathematical Mind",
By Demob Happy "jamesewan" (London / Grenoble) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Gimme Fiction (Audio CD)
Spoon are a singular American band at once willfully experimental and tightly committed to pop and rock traditions. Their sound is bluesy and angular, but has little in common with the current renaissance of post-punk and new wave. It could be more closely identified with The Beatles, of which there are some echoes, but ultimately they are not building a career on homage or imitation. Rock's arch formalists, they structure superficially simplistic pop hooks around tightly economic, pared-down musicianship. The layering of sound in the production is subtle, all space and exacting textures, over persistant but restrained rythmns. Tightly-coiled, the songs' melodic thrust belies the spring-loaded tensions built into the music and words. There are no cathartic crescendos and guitar solos on this album, but rather simmering and unresolved tensions. Piano, bass and guitar and organic studio embellishments pulse and whirl around slightly hypnotic rythmns.
Brit Daniel sings about emotional distance in his gritty drawl, and its a distance that is made tangible in the calculated sonics. 'I Turn My Camera On...' he sings in a Prince-style falsetto on the song of the same name '... I Turn my feelings off, y'made me untouchable for life'. Unlikely themes for a song with such an infectious, funky groove and irresistable melodic hook. 'My Mathematical Mind' explores similar terrain: 'I wanna change your mind / said I wanna get it right this time .... I wanna change your ways / said i'm gonna do it right this time'. The sinister lyrics about emotional control complement a rugged but concise blues backdrop. Other highlights include the deceptively sweet ballad 'I Summon You', with its cryptic lyrics and precise acoustic chords, and the menacing opener 'The Beast and Dragon, Adored'. The mood can be a little repetitive, and the album lags towards the end, but overall it is another fantastic achievement by a highly underrated band.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Stuff That Works Best As A Whole,
This review is from: Gimme Fiction (Audio CD)
Spoon have spent the last decade knocking out some of the finest crafted indie-rock albums you could latch your ears on. From A Series Of Sneaks through Girls Can Tell to Kill The Moonlight they've barely put a foot wrong. And it's against these superb records that Gimme Fiction must be (somewhat) unfairly judged. Fiction is a great record, probably their best album as a whole to date. But compared to the sublime quality of their back catalogue, there's just that tiny something missing to qualify this as a modern classic. As unfair as that is, that's the burden of very high expectation. The difference really is that this works better when listened to as a whole. For example, the first four tracks are very good individually, but when played back to back they become part of a movement or a feeling that seems to better translate the rest of the record. More experimentation means that there are fewer classics here (Fitted Shirt, The Way We Get By and Lines In The Suit spring to mind) with segments of the record requiring extended listens to allow them to develop fuller. In simpler terms, Gimme Fiction is a grower. That's not to say there aren't absolute diamonds here - I Turn My Camera On is as downright loose and groovetastic as Spoon have ever been. And frankly the later part of the record dips a tad. But this is good stuff and testament to the claim made by some that Spoon are one of the best bands you've never heard. And it's a distinct possibility that the grower factor of this record may mean this will sit side by side with their other sterling albums.
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