Transference - Spoon
  • Band Name: Spoon
  • Record Label: Merge
  • Release Date: Jan 19, 2010
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    It may pretty much lack any semblance of conventional verse-chorus-verse structure, but for those who find the metronomic abstractions of this band soothing, Transference is exactly what you crave, unadorned.
  2. MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
    91
    Ratcheting his reticence up half a turn, he opens with his bleakest new song, and only if you follow his chronically noncommittal lyrics will you notice his emotions opening up along with his tunes, his attitudes along with his structures.
  3. The A.V. Club
    91
    Transference features immediately winning songs like "Who Makes Your Money," "Written In Reverse," and "Got Nuffin," all thickly groovy in the classic Spoon style, and it breaks some new ground on the aching, twangy "Out Go The Lights," which finds Daniel paying homage to Factory Records.
  4. Dot Music
    90
    Spoon have created an album that will not only satisfy long-time observers but will also act as a gateway for those yet to discover their charms.
  5. No Ripcord
    90
    The album twisted and turned its already discombobulated songs around and around, never letting anyone get comfortable. It showed a more cerebral Spoon than ever before.
  6. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    89
    The decision not to focus on immediate pop hooks is really a blessing, though, as this album showcases Spoon at their loosest and most diverse.
  7. cokemachineglow
    88
    What we have here is a great album, un- or under-appreciated....What Transference does is it opens a space for this band to experiment within again.
  8. Los Angeles Times
    88
    Transference has the act experimenting more with textures and mood. The result is a collection of melodic fragments and unexpectedly welcome left turns.
  9. Lost At Sea
    87
    Transference is a challenging, mature statement from a band generally known for more for refining their approach with each release.
  10. Paste Magazine
    85
    While the bandmates sound like the veterans they are on Transference, Spoon brings to this new level the same prickliness and elusiveness that has informed all of its previous albums, and that has attracted devoted fans intent on parsing every word and note.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 67 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 20
  3. Negative: 1 out of 20
  1. j30
    8
    If you were expecting another Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga then this will be a huge disappointment for you. The first time I listened to Transference I had to take a step back (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga still remains my favorite Spoon album) and reexamine everything they had done to this point. This record just makes sense at this point in their career. Their 7th studio album was not only produced by themselves, half of the tracks are in their demo form, giving the record a more personable, home studio feel.… Full Review »
  2. Vampire25
    9
    Transference is probably Spoon's most odd album. It's a little less catchy than most of their other albums but don't get me wrong, Transference is one of their best. It's a more personal album that needs to be experienced rather than listened too. Spoon just seems to always get better. A-… Full Review »
  3. GrooveSandwich
    3
    Just like many Spoon albums, Transference has great lyrics. Is Transference a good album? Not really. In the true spirit of Spoon, Transference has great beats. Is Transference a commanding addition to their repertoire? Far from it. Does Transference have the skinny white guy swagger that we've come to love from Spoon? Yes. Is it at least a decent release? Barely.

    It's just a boring album. The songs do a good job of establishing a mood but beyond that, they just kind of hang there, constantly hammering on the same idea and oftentimes without enough melody to make a complete song. Take "Who Makes Your Money" as an example. It's got a cool new wave kind of vibe with some neat little sounds blipping and beeping in the background, but at no time does it do anything new melodically, rhythmically or harmonically. This is the sort of approach that we get from far too much of the album.

    It's not all bad. I'll fully admit that "The Mystery Zone" is wonderful.This is the kind of tune that we expect to hear from Spoon. Mmmmm, yeah. That's some funky **** I like it. BUT THEN IT JUST **** ENDS. JUST LIKE THAT. IN THE MIDDLE OF A CHORUS. Who's the jackass that thought that was a good idea? It's like sitting down to a delicious lunch and then when you're halfway through your veggie burger (I'm a vegan. This is my blog. In my blog, you're vegan too. Get used to it.) and you're loving every single bite of it and BOOM. IT'S GONE. SOME ASS BASKET TOOK IT AWAY. I'm not totally sure why they ended the song like that. Were they unable to come up with a decent ending and just gave up? Did they think that was a good way to end an otherwise knock out of a song? I don't know. I am left befuddled and without the other half of my veggie burger.

    One might think that my previous paragraph was a bit superfluous. After all, it's just the way one song ended that made me mad. No. No it's not. This is what you can expect from most of this album. It constantly struggles to achieve the kind of brutal awesomenicity (This is MY blog and I use MY words. Get used to it.) that's commonly found on albums like Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Gimme Fiction. When it begins to achieve awesomenicity, they just pull the rug out from under you. Transference is one of the best reviewed albums of 2010, much to my surprise. It really makes me wonder why all of the other critics out there have give it such fantastic reviews. Perhaps it's because Spoon has wowed us time and time again with a seemingly never ending run of great albums and people are in denial about the sudden lack of impact that this one delivers.

    Whatever the case may be, I'm calling Spoon out on this one. Spoon, you guys are fantastic. You write fun, witty, funky grooves that make hipster girls boogie in their Converse All Stars. For that, we love you. Just don't put out another album like this. groovesandwich.typepad.com    … Full Review »
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