Spoon

Spoon was an American rock band who mapped out an unlikely, triumphant career path throughout their run as a group, going from talented pastiche artists to major label also-rans to perhaps the most acclaimed and groundbreaking indie rock group of the early 21st century, creating a stark, hypnotic, fragmented sound that never sacrificed grooves and pop hooks, which became ubiquitous in film and TV soundtracks and was as beloved by critics as it was by fans. How fitting that one of their signature singles was called "The Underdog." Spoon was formed in Austin, TX in 1993 by lead singer/guitarist Britt Daniel and drummer Jim Eno. The two had met when Eno was brought in as a fill-in drummer for a demo recording session with The Alien Beats, a rockabilly trio for which Daniel played bass and sang. Eno ended up becoming the band's full-time drummer, and he and Daniel bonded over their love of psychedelia, 80s indie rock, and post-punk. The Alien Beats split up after releasing just a single EP, but Daniel and Eno decided to keep playing music together and recruited guitarist Greg Wilson (aka Wendel Stivers) and bassist Andy Maguire to join them. Daniel and Eno chose the name Spoon, after a song by the legendary krautrock outfit Can of the same name. Their debut EP, "Nefarious" (1994), drew the attention of the juggernaut indie label Matador Records, who signed Spoon to a contract in 1995. The following year, Spoon (now down to a trio after the departure of guitarist Wilson) released their debut album, Telefono (1996). The album received mixed reviews, with many critics finding it to be derivative of groups like the Pixies and Pavement. Maguire quit the band shortly after, so their next effort, the EP "Soft Effects" (1997) found them using temporary replacement bassists in Scott Adair and producer John Croslin, before they found a permanent replacement with Josh Zarbo. The other big change for Spoon came when they decided to go with a major label for their next album. Taking yet another cue from the Pixies, the band signed with Elektra Records in early 1998, and released their sophomore album, A Series of Sneaks (1998), that April. Unfortunately, Spoon's major label dalliance would prove to be disastrous: Elektra was disappointed with the album's sales, and even though the critics that heard it gave it rapturous reviews, it barely made a blip. The band's fate was sealed that September, when the A&R rep who had signed them, Ron Laffitte, quit his job. Less than a week later, Spoon was officially dropped by Elektra. Dejected, the band spent most of the next year regrouping. They eventually found a new deal, this time with Merge Records, another juggernaut indie label. With Zarbo taking a brief hiatus from the group, Daniel and Eno recorded Spoon's first offering for Merge, the EP "Love Ways" (2000) as a duo. Zarbo would return to the fold just in time for their third album, Girls Can Tell (2001). The album marked a turning point for the band, showing off a much more sparse, rhythmic sound, more reliant on keyboards and pianos than the heavy guitar work of their previous efforts. Surprisingly, the left turn paid off: critics were effusive in their praise, and the album sold more than all of Spoon's prior catalogue combined. Spoon themselves must have realized this new direction was working too, for on their next album, Kill the Moonlight (2002), they doubled down on the style and in the process created what many consider to be their magnum opus. Equal parts tough and tender, with some astonishing studio wizardry hidden behind what seem to be 12 streamlined, flawless pop songs, Kill the Moonlight was universally acclaimed by critics, and for the next few years, many of its songs, especially the menacing piano-driven strut "The Way We Get By," became joyfully ubiquitous throughout pop culture, showing up in a number of movies, TV shows, and commercials. For their fifth album, Gimme Fiction (2005), Spoon brought the guitars back into the mix a bit more, largely thanks to their new fourth member, guitarist/keyboardist Eric Harvey, but employed them in highly compelling ways, from the wiry disco of "I Turn My Camera On," to the heartland rock of "Sister Jack," and the ethereal folk-pop of "I Summon You," resulting in yet another home run with both critics and listeners. After three back-to-back stunners, and a final bow for longtime bassist Josh Zarbo (who was replaced by former Get-Up Kids bassist Rob Pope), one would've been forgiven for thinking Spoon were running out of fuel, but just the opposite was true: despite its ungainly title, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007), Spoon's sixth album, was a critically-acclaimed smash. Almost every song could've conceivably been a huge single; the album's actual single, a mariachi-infused victory lap called "The Underdog," instantly became the band's defining achievement. It was Spoon's first album to reach the top 10 of the U.S. Billboard 200, quickly became their best-selling album ever, and was on nearly every major critic's top 10 list that year. In fact, Spoon would close out the first decade of the 21st century by being named "Top overall artist of the decade" by the review aggregator site Metacritic. So where does one go when they've reached the top of their field? If you're Spoon, you take your signature sound, and throw it into a blender. Recorded in studios across Brooklyn, NY and Portland, OR after two years spent on tour across the world, and the first Spoon record to be produced solely by Daniel and Eno since the "Love Ways" EP, Spoon's seventh album, Transference (2010), was a difficult, sometimes abrasive affair. While the catchiness was still there, the production was wigged out, full of lo-fi experiments and bizarre left turns seemingly meant to disorient the listener. The album was somewhat warmly received, and managed to debut at number 4 on the Billboard 200 charts, but it ultimately left both critics and listeners scratching their heads, and was the first Spoon album of the 2000s to not sell more than its predecessor. Not long after its release, the band went on hiatus. Spoon's imperial period was over. During the break, Daniel formed a new band, Divine Fits, with a fellow indie rocker in exile: Wolf Parade co-founder Dan Boeckner. They released an album, A Thing Called Divine Fits (2012), in 2012, and did some touring. Eno produced other bands' records, Rob Pope rejoined the newly reunited Get-Up Kids, and Eric Harvey released a solo album. Spoon eventually began working on a new record in 2013, hooking up with producers Joe Chicarelli and Dave Fridmann, and bringing in a fifth member, guitarist/keyboardist Alex Fischel, whom Daniel had played with in Divine Fits. The band's eighth album, They Want My Soul (2014), was classic Spoon through and through, dishing out ragged barn-burners ("Rent I Pay") alongside wistful ballads ("Do You") and tripped out experiments ("Inside Out"). Critics and audiences were more than glad to welcome them back. Sadly, after finishing up a world tour in support of the album, Harvey quietly left the band after 11 years, though you wouldn't know anything was amiss by listening to their raucous, darkly danceable ninth album, Hot Thoughts (2017), their first release for Matador in two full decades. Spoon spent the next few years on a celebratory note; despite losing bassist Rob Pope in 2019 (he was replaced with two new members, bassist/keyboardist Ben Trokan and guitarist/keyboardist Gerardo Larios), the band spent that summer playing stadiums and outdoor arenas on a co-headlining tour with Beck and Cage the Elephant, and released a greatest hits album, Everything Hits at Once: The Best of Spoon (2019).