They Want My Soul
Spoon
(Loma Vista/Republic)
Four stars
The Austin, Texas-born band Spoon are out with their eighth album, They Want My Soul. It’s a lush jangle of guitars, smart lyrics and catchy refrains that continues to set the band apart from, well, other bands you’re not quite sure you’ve heard of. Therein lives the mystery of Spoon. They’re just good enough to make a 20-year career out of music while producing albums and songs you’ve probably overlooked. That may not last much longer thanks to a couple of standout tracks that are certain to be late-summer earworms once They Want My Soul migrates into frequent rotation. Do You is the one song you must know about. It asks of the listener: ”Do you want to get understood?/Do you want one thing, or are you looking for sainthood?” It has great pace and is delivered with matching emotion by Britt Daniel, the band’s electrifying lead singer. While Do You offers straight-ahead rock, Outlier has a more modern feel with its danceable backbeat and ghostly keyboard echoes. Spoon can do a little bit of everything and do so on They Want My Soul. To sound this fresh after two decades of work speaks to the band’s smartness and savvy. Spoon are wearing their experience well these days.
* AP
