Spoon And Rafter - Mojave 3

Advantages: songwriting, emotion, creativity, sonics
Disadvantages: only thirty six minutes of it!

..., a short interlude and a repeat of the chorus. Is the song coming to an end? Na-ah. The band break down into a massive jam with new chord progressions, changes of tempo, rhythm and instrumentation until you can't remember how the tune started. Not to worry; they'll play you the chorus once more before they're done. 2. The Ghost Of You Lingers: At the other end of the spectrum, here's minimalist Spoon. A simple piano progression loops and loops under Daniel's almost random musings and treated counterparts. The most subtly rewarding track, but repeated listens are a must. 3. You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb: The first track to make use of brass, Cherry Bomb finds a middle ground between Target and Ghost - combining the first's fulllness of sound with the second's attention to arrangement. Some very clever percussive fills from Jim Eno underpin... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Short, catchy bursts of music overlaid with superb vocals.
Disadvantages: Some of the songs are just too short.

...Series of Sneaks is the debut album from ‘Spoon’. Originally released in 1998 on Elektra Records they have since been dropped from this label and the album was re-released on Merge Records in 2002. Spoon are a band that have constantly had to battle with comparisons to the Pixies. That is not to say that don’t sound the Pixies... they do. But it is probably something they could do without. Hanging over them like a deceased master whose unwanted benevolence reaches from beyond the grave; it is just something Spoon have had to live with. With their ‘stop-start’ and ‘loud-soft’ bedlam filled music the allusions to the Pixies were inevitable. Add in the over zealous drums and frantic guitar riffs and it is impossible to ignore the Pixies influence. The vocals are the only place where the comparisons breakdown. While Francis Black... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Fantastic entertainment, and some real good guitar solos to boot
Disadvantages: They over-layer some of the songs, thus losing them in production

...From the tense opening guitar beats of "Don't Make Me A Target" right through the final peaceful strains of "Black Like Me", Spoon's oddly-named sixth album is a masterclass in how to craft an indie rock record. As every critic will tell you, the fact that the masses don't appear to have picked up on the Austin rockers unique brand of rock inflected pop melodies is totally bizarre, for almost every song on here could quite happily trundle up to the top of the charts with little fuss, if only they got the widespread attention they deserve. Short at only a little over half an hour long, the album nevertheless proves its worth through the longevity of the music and the sheer good-natured entertainment it provides from start to finish. The odd title comes from the original name given to track 2 here, the cloying "The Ghost Of You Lingers... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful