Album Review: Spoon - They Want My Soul

Texan pop maestros Spoon have been off the radar the past five years, but charismatic frontman Britt Daniel hasn’t been dormant, toying with conventions alongside likeminded Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade) as Divine Fits, while other members kept busy producing records or rejoining old bands. Yet the adherence to classic songwriting structure, albeit overlain with inventive wordplay and intuitive instrumentation, remains. This makes They Want My Soul, the five-piece’s eighth album, both a welcome return and a missed opportunity.

Those waiting for the punch and virility of 2002’s Kill The Moonlight might be misled by opening song and single Rent I Pay, a hip riposte to gaining success with the funky hook that the band are renowned for. Those hoping for the return of the loosening of the chains of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga might embrace the jangle of Do You. Those even hoping for more of the Divine Fits’ knack for bluesy experimentation and freewheeling will find much to enjoy with I Just Don’t Understand. Nevertheless, the album as a whole feels exactly like that – a butcher-bird assemblage of past hits, moulded through the Spoon cookie cutter and spat out ready to be consumed.

This may be a cynical view, as there’s much to enjoy here – Daniel’s lyrics are as always acerbic, and there’s a dirtier edge to the guitars on Knock Knock Knock suggesting there’s a more angular beast waiting to pounce from the pop fabric. As it stands though, They Want My Soul is a passable pastiche from a band that has – and still definitely could – do better.