Music

CD review: Spoon’s ‘They Want My Soul’

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Spoon’s They Want My Soul
Annie Zaleski

Three stars

Spoon They Want My Soul

Perhaps the most impressive thing about indie stalwarts Spoon is their restless creative spirit; during their 20-plus-year career, the Austin band has explored (and then moved beyond) distorted post-punk, anxious skinny-tie power-pop and taut soul-rock. They Want My Soul, Spoon’s first record since 2010’s Transference, is yet another progression. The wary-sounding collection is full of subtle genre collisions: scratchy classic rock (“Rent I Pay”), oblique nods to dub (“Let Me Be Mine,” with its buoyant bassline and spacious arrangement) and stinging garage-rock (the title track). Meanwhile, new keyboardist Alex Fischel (who also plays in frontman Britt Daniel’s other band, Divine Fits) adds spooky, atmospheric keys to many songs, including the Arcade Fire-esque synth sputter “Outlier.” Unlike previous Spoon records, They Want My Soul takes a while to sink in—but when it does, the unease and uncertainty get under the skin in the best possible way.

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