The appeal of a good, simple groove is so hard to pinpoint. Why is it that some bass lines are intolerable after two verses, while others stay fresh for minutes at a time? Knowing the difference between a phrase worth repeating and a dud is even more important for bands like Spoon, whose songwriting has always been grounded in extracting as much as possible from simplistic hooks and rhythms.
Such an approach poses a great danger; when a small idea is repeated, exposed and stretched out over numerous bars, every little nuance becomes all the more audible. Albums like LCD Soundsystem's 'Sound of Silver' (2007) and Spoon's 'Kill the Moonlight' (2002) show how repetition can reveal the greatness in the simplest grooves. The magic of both of these albums was in the anticipation they built around every little phrase. Even though the same three'minus;note synth lick was coming back for another verse, it was just as exciting as the first time around.
'Transference,' Spoon's latest release, proves how little this approach to music can yield when the hooks simply aren't catchy enough. Without the air'minus;tight pop phrasing that characterized earlier Spoon songs like 'The Way We Get By' (2002), the repetition that was previously so critical to Spoon's sound stopped doing them favors.
Each repeat of the bass riff in 'I Saw the Light' only reinforces how meandering and directionless the song feels. The rhythm sections beat out the same meter for most of the song, leaving the listener unaffected after five and a half minutes of monotony.
Instrumental breaks strewn throughout 'Transference' generally offer little respite from the stagnant verses and choruses that characterize the album.
The band so thoroughly bombards the listener that when the distorted guitars in the bridge of 'The Mystery Zone' finally emerge from the robotic heave of the song's first three minutes, any change is more than welcome. Too bad the break only lasts for 15 seconds before it recedes back into the same ineffective theme.
Even though 'Transference' disappoints in some critical areas, the high points of Spoon's songwriting and arranging come through clearly on a few tracks. The album's opener, 'Before Destruction,' effectively pairs the disparate sounds of a strangely recorded guitar with an organ. Unlike the other songs on the album, 'Before Destruction' has a sense of movement, as themes evolve and elements get added and taken away. At the song's end, the listener feels more affected than he or she will by any of the other tracks on the album.
Other tracks, such as 'Who Makes Your Money,' show how Spoon can still use simple ideas in extremely effective ways. Rather than dragging out a single bass line or guitar riff throughout the duration of the song, Spoon alternates between guitar sequences, oozing synths and pseudo'minus;funk bass work that shows off the rhythm section. Obviously, this band is still more than capable of producing engaging work; they just need to modify their approach.
In the end, 'Transference' shows a band that has lost its sense of adventure. Britt Daniels only breaks out of his songwriting comfort zone on a handful of tracks, and the result is a compilation that sounds like a timid counterpart to the group's earlier albums, such as 'Kill the Moonlight' and 'Gimme Fiction' (2005).
The most frustrating parts of 'Transference' are the moments when the listener expects something beyond Spoon's usual song structure. While the band delivers on this promise on a few tracks, the majority of the album feels tired, lacking the momentum to keep itself moving toward a significant conclusion.
