SPOON at Boston’s Avalon

By Ben Doleac

One great truth resonated at the Avalon in Boston when SPOON recently performed: this band is all about rhythm. From the coiled piano-pop pulse of Everything Hits At Once to the Motown shuffle of They Never Got You, the heart of the band’s attack was brilliant drummer Jim Eno. The man drove the songs forward with metronomic precision and understated grace. Sometimes less really is more, as Spoon’s painstakingly constructed records will attest—and no one knew this better than frontman Britt Daniel, whose carefully placed guitar jabs and whispery melodies communicated more in 75 minutes than most bands manage in hours worth of directionless wheedling.

Precision and tasteful restraint can only take you so far, however, and Spoon’s remarkable economy wouldn’t mean much without some soul, which Daniel’s shivery, wounded croon provided in spades. Though the four-piece touring band couldn’t always match the focused tension of the definitive studio versions of songs like Me And The Bean and I Summon You, they generally did Britt Daniel’s illustrious songbook proud. And if the band’s recent single I Turn My Camera On got the biggest response —it’s the band’s only (modest) radio hit to date—The Way We Get By cut deeper, spinning Daniel’s minimalist ethic into some kind of gospel.

One can only hope Spoon’s audience will continue to grow—this show found them in peak form, so I’d suggest checking them out while the iron’s still hot. The cherished denizens of Indieland are no more likely to turn up something special than the damned major labels, no matter what elitist fools might say, so thank the Lord or whomever for kicking up Britt Daniel & Co. This is a band that people will remember.

For more check out: www.spoontheband.com
Merge Records