Spoon (band)

For the Canadian New Wave band, see Spoons (band).
Spoon

Spoon performing at Outside Lands festival in 2014
Background information
Origin Austin, Texas, United States
Genres
Years active 1993–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website www.spoontheband.com
Members
Past members
  • Roman Kuebler
  • Josh Zarbo
  • Andy Maguire
  • Greg Wilson
  • Sean Kirkpatrick
Lead singer Britt Daniel

Spoon is an American rock band formed in Austin, Texas. The band is composed of Britt Daniel (vocals, guitar); Jim Eno (drums); Rob Pope (bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Eric Harvey (keyboard, guitar, percussion, backing vocals), and Alex Fischel (keyboard, guitar).[3] The band's musical style has been described by critics as indie rock,[4][5] indie pop,[5][6] art rock,[7][8] and experimental rock.[9]

History

The band was formed in late 1993 by the lead singer and guitarist Britt Daniel and the drummer Jim Eno, after the two met as members of The Alien Beats.[10] The name Spoon was chosen to honor the 1970s German avant-garde band Can, whose hit song "Spoon" was the theme song to the 1985 movie Das Messer aka Jagged Edge in the United States.[11] Eno describes Spoon's music as "psychedelic."[12]

Early years

Spoon's first recording was the vinyl release of the EP Nefarious in May 1994.[13] In 1995 the band signed with Matador Records, and within a year, Spoon released its first full-length LP Telephono in 1996. The album was met with mixed reviews, with critics often comparing their sound with the likes of Pavement, Pixies and Wire.[14] But comparisons aside, Telephono showed signs of a band slipping free of its influences, mixing post-punk with a blend of pop.[15]

Less than a year later, Spoon released its second EP, Soft Effects, which served as a transition to their more distinctive, honed sound.[16] Unlike its predecessors, Soft Effects was less noisy and brash, showcasing a more sophisticated, minimalist approach.[17]

In late 1996, Spoon was playing a gig at the Argo in Denton, Texas with Ed Cooper and local band Maxine's Radiator, which then featured Josh Zarbo on bass. Zarbo was invited to audition for Daniel and Eno in 1997, and subsequently became the band's full-time bassist until his permanent departure in 2007.[18]

Major label debut

After the release of Soft Effects, Spoon signed to Elektra Records in 1998. Appropriately enough, Elektra had also been the record label that found and developed the Pixies (band). [19]Through Elektra the band released A Series of Sneaks in May 1998. The album did not sell as well as the label had hoped; merely four months after the release of Sneaks, Spoon's Elektra A&R man Ron Laffitte quit his job and that week the band was dropped from the label.[20] Angry with Laffitte, who had promised to stick with the band, Spoon recorded a vindictive yet humorously-titled two-song concept single entitled "The Agony of Laffitte," which was released by Saddle Creek Records. They lamented their experience with the music business executive and questioned his motivations with the songs "The Agony of Laffitte" and "Laffitte Don't Fail Me Now".[21]

Commercial success

Spoon signed with the indie rock label Merge Records and released the Love Ways EP in 2000.[17] They did this without bassist Josh Zarbo, who had briefly left the band.[22] In 2001, Spoon released its third LP entitled Girls Can Tell. The new record was a success, selling more copies than both their previous LP releases combined.[23] The band’s next release in 2002, Kill the Moonlight had similar success.[23] Kill the Moonlight also contained the single, "The Way We Get By", which was popularized by its placement on the movie Stranger than Fiction (released later, in 2006) as well as the teen drama The O.C. [24] and on the first episode of the American version of the series Shameless. Their next album, Gimme Fiction, was released in May 2005, and debuted at number 44 on the Billboard 200, selling more than 160,000 copies.[25]

Spoon’s Britt Daniel collaborated with Brian Reitzell to compose and arrange the soundtrack for the 2006 film Stranger than Fiction. The soundtrack consists chiefly of music performed by Spoon, and according to the liner notes of the official soundtrack, Brian Reitzell collaborated with Britt Daniel to compose the score, while also adapting several tracks from Kill the Moonlight and Gimme Fiction into instrumental versions of the songs.

On July 10, 2007, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was released and debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200.[26] Since the release of Kill the Moonlight in 2002, Spoon has performed on late night talk shows, such as Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Last Call with Carson Daly, and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien as well as the PBS show Austin City Limits. They were also musical guests on Saturday Night Live on October 6, 2007, where they performed "The Underdog"[27] and "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb".[28]

On January 18, 2010, the band released its seventh studio album, Transference. It debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 53,000 copies in its first week.

"I Turn My Camera On", from Gimme Fiction, was used in the second season of Veronica Mars, as well as on the second episode ("The Man in the S.U.V.") of Bones, and the May 4, 2008, episode of The Simpsons. "Don't Make Me a Target", "Don't You Evah" and "Got Nuffin" have been used on Chuck. Adam Buxton used the song "Don't Make Me a Target" for a segment of the pilot of his BBC Three series MeeBOX. "I Summon You", from Gimme Fiction, was used in the sixth season of Scrubs, in the episode, "My Perspective", as well as in Season 2 of Veronica Mars in the episode "Rashard and Wallace Go to White Castle". "Don't You Evah" and "I Turn My Camera On" have become popular on YouTube as dance soundtracks for the Japanese robot Keepon, accumulating over two million hits.[29] The song "Take A Walk" from Girls Can Tell was used on the soundtrack to the popular video game Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX 2. The song "The Underdog" was used in the film Cloverfield, and included in the movie's soundtrack, Rob's Party Mix. It was also used in episode 10 of the fourth season of Numb3rs, in episode 8 of the third season of How I Met Your Mother, as well as the movies 17 Again, I Love You, Man and Horrible Bosses. "Don't You Evah" was used on the soundtrack for the video game MLB 09: The Show. The song "The Infinite Pet" from Gimme Fiction was used in the film (500) Days of Summer[30] "Got Nuffin" was the closing track in the season 7 finale of House. In 2010 Spoon recorded the title track on the album See My Friends in collaboration with Ray Davies.

Their song "The Mystery Zone" was chosen as the Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week on January 26, 2010.[31]

In 2009, the review aggregator Metacritic ranked Spoon as its "Top overall artist of the decade", based on the band's consistently high review scores between 2000 and 2009, amongst other factors.[32]

On April 12, 2010, Spoon made a guest appearance on Conan O'Brien's The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour in Eugene, Oregon, where they performed the song "I Summon You" from their album Gimme Fiction.[33]

Spoon released their eighth full-length album, They Want My Soul, on August 5, 2014. It is their first record released by Loma Vista Recordings, after five records on Merge.[34] It was recorded with Joe Chicarelli and Dave Fridmann.[35]

On October 30, 2014, Spoon appeared as the featured musical guests during The Daily Show's Democalypse 2014: South By South Mess. [36]

Band members

Current members

Former members

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album Peak chart positions Label
US
[37]		 US
Indie
[38]		 AUS
[39]		 BEL
(FL)
[40]		 CAN
[41]		 NED
[42]
1996 Telephono — 35 — — — — Matador
1998 A Series of Sneaks — — — — — — Elektra
2001 Girls Can Tell — 46 — — — — Merge
2002 Kill the Moonlight — 23 — — — —
2005 Gimme Fiction 44 1 — — — —
2007 Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga 10 1 — — — —
2010 Transference 4 2 47 — 20 —
2014 They Want My Soul 4 — 43 112 10 50 Loma Vista
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

EPs

Singles

Year Song Peak chart positions Album
US
Sales
[43]		 US
AAA
[44]		 US
Alt
[45]		 US
Rock
[45]		 MEX
Air.
[46]		 UK
[47]
1996 "All the Negatives Have Been Destroyed" — — — — — — Telephono
"Not Turning Off" — — — — — —
1998 "Anticipation" — — — — — — non-album single
1999 "The Agony of Laffitte" — — — — — —
2001 "Anything You Want" — — — — — — Girls Can Tell
"Everything Hits at Once" — — — — — —
"Car Radio" — — — — — — A Series of Sneaks
2002 "Text Later" — — — — — — split single
"Someone Something" — — — — — — Kill the Moonlight
"Jonathon Fisk" — — — — — —
2003 "Stay Don't Go" — — — — — —
"The Way We Get By" — — — — — —
2005 "I Turn My Camera On" 31 — — — — 194 Gimme Fiction
"My First Time Volume 3" — — — — — — non-album single
"Sister Jack" — — — — — — Gimme Fiction
2007 "The Underdog" — — 26 — — — Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
"You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" — — — — — —
2008 "Don't You Evah" 1 — 33 — — —
2009 "Got Nuffin" 1 — — 43 — — Transference
2010 "Written in Reverse" 30 — — — — —
2014 "Rent I Pay" — — — 44 — — They Want My Soul
"Do You" — 1 30 28 33 —
"Inside Out" — 14 — 33 — —
2015 "TV Set" — — — — 33 — non-album single
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Other charting songs

Year Song MEX
Air.
[46]		 Album
2015 "They Want My Soul" 35 They Want My Soul

Compilations

  • "Don't Buy the Realistic" and "Telamon Bridge" on What's Up Matador? (1997, Matador Records)
  • "Operation In Progress" on Rock and Roll Free-For-All Vol. 2 (1997, Nickel & Dime Records)
  • "Tear Me Down" on Wig in a Box (2003, Off Records)
  • "Decora" (Yo La Tengo cover) on The Believer 2005 Music Issue CD (2005, The Believer)
  • "The Book I Write" and 3 previously released tracks on Stranger than Fiction Original Soundtrack (2006, Columbia Records/Sony)
  • "Well-Alright" on Dark Was the Night (2009, 4AD)

References

  1. ↑ "Spoon (Europe only)". ANTI. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  2. ↑ "Spoon Signs to Loma Vista; Album Expected Soon". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  3. ↑ Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton. "After Learning To Loosen Up, Spoon Readies Its Return: The All Songs Interview". NPR. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Spoon Albums From Worst To Best". Stereogum. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Spoon". AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Spoon Reveal 10th Anniversary Edition of 'Gimme Fiction'". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Album Review: Spoon – They Want My Soul". The Brock Press. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Spoon: a spectacle in lights". San Diego Reader. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Spoon - They Want My Soul". Uncut. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Drake Tungsten and His Boy Skellington." The Austin Chronicle, January 25, 1999.
  11. ↑ Warren, Tamara. "Waxing Poetic", Anthem, Fall/Winter 2005, p. 54.
  12. ↑ "Spoon. American Band Spoon. Spoon's Jim Eno in interview - Gimme Fiction.". Three Monkeys Online. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  13. ↑ Hernandez, Raoul. "Drake Tungsten and His Boy Skellington." The Austin Chronicle, January 25, 1999.
  14. ↑ Brian Howe, , "Pitchfork", August 1, 2006.
  15. ↑ Jennifer Kelly, "Reviews: Soft Effects EP/Telephono", PopMatters, July 31, 2006.
  16. ↑ Brian Howe, August 1, 2006.
  17. 1 2 Kareem Estefan, "Spoon – Artist Profile", "Stylus Magazine", September 1, 2003.
  18. ↑ "Joshua Zarbo's MySpace biography". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  19. ↑ Cook, John, Mac McCaughan, and Laura Ballance. Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records, the Indie Label That Got Big and Stayed Small. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin of Chapel Hill, 2009.
  20. ↑ Tim McMahan, "Lazy-I Interview: Spoon", The Omaha Weekly, April 18, 2001.
  21. ↑ Camden Joy, "Total System Failure", The Village Voice, January 18, 2000.
  22. ↑ Ken Lieck, "Dancing About Architecture," The Houston Chronicle, August 4, 2000.
  23. 1 2 Sean, "Sunday Music Spotlight – Spoon", Pop Culture Will Eat Itself , August 26, 2007.
  24. ↑ Brooklyn Vegan Mike, "RIP The O.C. (& a list of EVERY song ever played)", Brooklyn Vegan, January 3, 2007.
  25. ↑ Joe Gross, "In tune with Spoon", Austin 360, July 5, 2007.
  26. ↑ Katie Hasty, "T.I. Holds Off Pumpkins, Interpol To Remain No. 1", Billboard, July 18, 2007.
  27. ↑ SNL Archives | Detail. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
  28. ↑ SNL Archives | Detail. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
  29. ↑ YouTube KeepOn Dancing to Spoon | Detail. Retrieved March 18, 2008.
  30. ↑ IMDB Soundtracks for (500) Days of Summer. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
  31. ↑ "Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Spoon - Mystery Zone". www.mark-heringer.com. 2010-01-26. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  32. ↑ "The Best Music of the Decade - Metacritic". Features.metacritic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  33. ↑ "Conan O'Brien's Tour Opens in Oregon with Self-Pleasuring Panda - Today's News: Our Take". TVGuide.com. 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  34. ↑ Zoe Camp and Jeremy Gordon. "Spoon Announce New Album They Want My Soul". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  35. ↑ Goldberg, Michael. "New Spoon Album Nearing Completion".
  36. ↑ "The Daily Show" Covers Midterm Elections in Austin with "Democalypse 2014: South By South Mess" Airing Oct 27-30 at 11 p.m. ET/PT". The Futon Critic. 2014-10-22. Retrieved 2014-10-22.
  37. ↑ "Spoon – Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  38. ↑ "Spoon – Chart History: Billboard Independent Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  39. ↑ "Spoon albums". Australian Recording Industry Association / Australian-charts. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  40. ↑ "Spoon albums (Flanders)". Ultratop. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  41. ↑ "Spoon – Chart History: Billboard Canadian Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  42. ↑ "Spoon albums" (in Dutch). MegaCharts / Dutchcharts. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  43. ↑ "Spoon - Singles Sales". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  44. ↑ "((( Spoon - Adult Alternative Singles )))". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-09-08.
  45. 1 2 "((( Spoon > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". allmusic. Retrieved 2014-09-08.
  46. 1 2 "Mexico Ingles Airplay". Billboard.biz.
  47. ↑ "Chart Log UK (1994–2010): DJ S – The System Of Life". zobbel.de. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
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