Efficient, distorted, fresh and messy. That's how I'd describe Spoon's “Rent I Pay,”the first song to arrive from their forthcoming album “They Want My Soul.”
The band has in various forms of away-time for the last four years, their longest break. Singer Britt Daniel formed the Divine Fits, drummer Jim Eno has produced some great records from !!!, Heartless Bastards and more, for instance.
I've gotten the impression from talking to Daniel before that he needs a certain amount of distance from his band to get anything done. He moved out of Austin, for instance; he writes lyrics separately, which is one of the hardest part of his job description.
I love the crunch and pop of 2001's “Girls Can Tell” and the tight empty spaces of 2002's “Kill the Moonlight.” I don't think I or the band could explain how those albums — released one after the other — felt so different and so much the opposite of stale. 2010's “Transference” had some of that wear (I hate to say it) and it had more than three years to boil.
All this to say, I think “Rent I Pay” is a really good sign. It's something very straight-forward and viscerally rock 'n' roll, even with the metronomic mid-tempo. As previously reported, Spoon added a permanent new member, keyboardist Alex Fischel (who also served in Divine Fits), and you can hear his organ sprinklings here, too.
Pre-orders are up now for “They Want My Soul,” due Aug. 5 via Loma Vista, their first for the label.
Listen to the song below; tour dates are below that.
06/14/14 – Burnaby, BC – CBC Festival
06/21/14 – Toronto, ON – NXNE Festival
06/14/14 – Vancouver, BC – CBC Music Festival
06/22/14 – Minneapolis, MN – Rock the Garden 2014
06/26-28/14 – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas
07/12-13/14 – Telluride, CO – The Ride Festival
07/18/14 – Louisville, KY – Forecastle Festival
07/25/14 – Seattle, WA – Capitol Hill Block Party
08/01/14 – Chicago, IL – Metro
08/02/14 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
08/08/14 – Los Angeles, CA – “They Want My Soul” on The Fairbanks Lawn of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
08/10/14 – San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands
08/17/14 – Portland, OR – Musicfest NW
08/30-31/14 – Philadelphia, PA – Made in America Festival
09/05/14 – Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Music Festival
09/07/14 – Boston, MA – Boston Calling Music Festival
10/03-05/14 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Music Festival
10/10-12/14 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Music Festival