On Aug. 5, Spoon released “They Want My Soul,” their first album in almost five years. For fans, this hiatus felt like a lifetime. So, with decided to use that lifetime constructively and create a ranking of the 10 best Spoon songs.
But, how exactly are you supposed to pick just 10 songs from a back catalog as prolific as a band like Spoon’s? It involved a lot of staring at our computers, hitting next on Spotify and frantically messaging friends on Facebook:
“Come on! You love this band! You have a musician’s insight! Help me out!”
“That’s very difficult,” said friend replied.
“I know! That’s why I need help!” the tired journalist cries.
We did, however, pull something together. With a little help from friends (thank you) and a much needed revisit to older albums, we bring you the 10 best Spoon songs (and we promise not to immediately change our minds after making the decision.)
10. Car Radio
This track off their 1998 debut “A Series of Sneaks” is proof that less is sometimes more, especially when it comes to song length. “Car Radio” clocks in under two minutes, but Britt Daniel says everything he needs to say in just 90 seconds. The song’s repetitive and infectiously catchy melody is what makes it a track worth going back to over a decade after its initial release.
9. Nobody Gets Me But You
This is a song that truly goes off. Despite Daniel being a fantastic lyricist, the lyrics take the passenger seat in this song. Not to say that they aren’t up to par, they are, but this song is all about the music. The last track of an album is so important, it is the last taste left in a listener’s mouth, the last thought they have before moving on to something else. “Nobody Gets Me But You” was the perfect way to end “Transference.” If their had to be a hiatus, we are glad that we were left on this note.
8.I Turn My Camera On
This song is so good that Kelly Clarkson stole the bass line. Well, maybe she didn’t steal it. But the bassline in her song “All I Ever Wanted” sounds very, very similar to “I Turn My Camera On.” Off 2005’s “Gimme Fiction” this is a track that prooves that not only does Spoon know how to rock, but they can seriously groove as well. Daniel adopts a casual falsetto for the vocals on this track and everything about it just exudes cool.
7. All The Pretty Girls Go to the City
Even though “The Way We Get By” got most of the love off 2002’s “Kill the Moonlight” (thanks, The O.C.) we think that the true star of the album is “All The Pretty Girls Go to the City.” Much like “Nobody Gets Me But You” would in a few years, this is a song that just musically goes off. It’s a track perfect for driving when the windows out. Do girls listen to this song when they get ready to go out and slay the town? Because they really should be.
6. Rainy Taxi
Coming in at number 6 is the first pick from their latest endeavor “They Want My Soul.” This track combines so much of what we loved from the other picks on this list. Daniel’s casual falsetto makes an appearance, the tired questioning of questionable lovers you can’t seem to let go, all layered on top of a melody ready to take you home for the night when no one else will.
5. Anything You Want
Had this song been released by the time the movie came out (or when the book had been written, actually) then this would definitely be one of the songs Rob Gordon was referencing when he asked if people were miserable because they listened to pop music, or people listened to pop music because they were miserable in “High Fidelity.” Right about this point is when Spoon had comfortably secured themselves a spot as an incredible rock band, so they tried their hand at pop music, and it worked. Of course it worked, they’re Spoon. If you’ve ever dealt with an “indefinitely absent lover” then the first verse will hit much too close to home:
“If there’s anything you want/Come on back cause it’s all still here/I’ll be in the back room drinking my half of the beer/And if you and me is right/Why’s it the same thing every night”
The organ in the intro does a good job of distracting from the melancholy in the lyrics, but the subtle pain in Britt Daniel’s voice comes through just enough to break hearts.
4. I Summon You
Spoon don’t slow down often, but when they do they do it brilliantly. Off the same album as “I Turn My Camera On”, “I Summon You” brings a stark contrast. Stripped down and honest this song proves that you don’t need much to pack a punch. It’s absolutely baffling that “I Summon You” hasn’t been on the soundtrack for every Indie movie in the last decade. This song sums up in less than four minutes what Zach Braff tried to achieve in an entire film.
3. Do You
The second single off “They Want My Soul”, this track is proof that the Spoon we know and love didn’t disappear during the hiatus. Spoon have mastered the art of “less is more” and that carries through with “Do You”. The questions that Daniel raises in this track carry through in different variations throughout the entire album, setting up a tone and theme that will make this album as a whole. one of the standout albums of the year.
2.You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
This song is one of their most popular for a reason, and it’s not very hard to see why. A breakout song of sorts “Cherry Bomb” was Spoon diving head on into pop music and handling it with the grace and sophistication that one would expect from a rock band. It goes against the formula while still delivering everything you want from a radio hit.
1. Everything Hits at Once
It wasn’t that hard to decide which song would be No. 1. If there was a song that had to be chosen to represent the signature Spoon sound, it would be the first track off 2001’s “Girls Can Tell.” It combines synth, a simple and haunting guitar riff, and Daniel’s subtle heartbreaking vocals are what make this one of the best songs written by one of the best bands in modern rock music.
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Erin Browne is a New York-based writer and a new contributor to Reverb.
