Spoon : Kill The Moonlight

CD [Cover Art for Spoon / Kill The Moonlight]

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Availability: In Stock
Sell date: 8/2002
Label: Merge Records
Mfg's Catalog#: 29515
CDC Part#: 719816
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 Notes & Reviews
 
Full title is: Kill the Moonlight

  Brad Shenfeld - Darbouka
  Britt Daniel - Guitar, Vocals
  Jim Eno - Drums
  John Clayton - Guitar (Bass)
  Joshua Zarbo - Guitar (Bass)
  Matt Brown - Saxophone
  Mike McCarthy - Guitar (12 String)
  Roman Kuebler - Guitar (Bass)

Coming just a year-and-a-half after their triumphant return Girls Can Tell, Kill the Moonlight isn't so much a step backward as a step sideways, almost like a breather after the emotional and musical intensity of their previous album. It isn't surprising, really, that the group would choose to follow such a cathartic album as Girls Can Tell with a collection of tougher, leaner, and meaner songs like 'All the Pretty Girls Go to the City,' which sounds like the inverse of Girls' 'Everything Hits at Once' ; 'The Way We Get By,' a prime example of Spoon's smart, nervy rock; or the spare, spooky pop of 'Paper Tiger' and 'Someone Something.' It is somewhat surprising, however, that Spoon managed to pare down their sound even more on Kill the Moonlight -- tracks such as 'Small Stakes' and 'Something to Look Forward To' are so stripped-down and sculpted that they're practically aerodynamic; the only problem is that they don't always take off from there. Still, even the album's sparest moments feature Spoon's much-heralded knack with catchy melodies and hooks, even if songs such as 'Don't Let It Get You Down' would be even more memorable with a slightly more fleshed-out approach. Hints of this appear on the songs with unique production twists, such as 'Stay Don't Go,' which sports a human beatbox rhythm; on the distant backing vocals and baritone saxes of 'You Gotta Feel It' ; and on the album-closer, 'Vittorio E.,' an undulating, vaguely psychedelic ballad that finally gives the band's playing and songwriting the full treatment they deserve. Though the album's brittle immediacy is far from a disappointment, and the quick turnaround between Kill the Moonlight and their previous one is a treat for Spoon fans, one can't help but notice that this album just isn't as revelatory as Girls Can Tell. But even if the artistic course Spoon seems to be plotting is two steps forward, one step back, it's more than rewarding enough to enjoy every stop on the journey. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide

 
 Tracks and Sound Clips   Click here for the Windows Media player
 
Small Stakes - 3:00 Play the Windows Media clip
Way We Get By - 2:40 Play the Windows Media clip
Something to Look Forward To - 2:16 Play the Windows Media clip
Stay Don't Go - 3:35 Play the Windows Media clip
Jonathon Fisk - 3:15 Play the Windows Media clip
Paper Tiger - 3:07 Play the Windows Media clip
Someone Something - 2:48 Play the Windows Media clip
Don't Let It Get You Down - 3:29 Play the Windows Media clip
All the Pretty Girls Go to the City - 3:12 Play the Windows Media clip
You Gotta Feel It - 1:29 Play the Windows Media clip
Back to the Life - 2:21 Play the Windows Media clip
Vittorio E. - 3:39 Play the Windows Media clip
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