Spoon — Girls Can Tell

Parents are always throwing around sayings like "Every cloud has a silver lining…" or "When one door closes, another door opens…" to comfort a child who's suffered a life setback. Austin, TX's quartet, Spoon should count their lucky stars that they got out from under the recording behemoth Elektra/Warner while the going was good. After releasing the well-received A Series of Sneaks on a major label, the band was unceremoniously dropped. Picking up the pieces the band plowed ahead with arguably their best set of songs and found a home on Superchunk's Merge Records.

On Girls Can Tell, Spoon, led by singer/guitarist Britt Daniel, really blossom by venturing into some new musical and lyrical territory that reflects both the anger over poor major label support as well as a renewed sense of purpose to control their own destiny. Every song on this new album oozes a genuine sense of urban sophistication. Bass lines are both tight and melodic, supporting Daniel's well-defined raspy vocals throughout the album.

The album makes a brilliant first step with the brooding yet equally haunting "Everything Hits At Once." Most great pop songs feature a hypnotically inviting hook from either a guitar or a keyboard. This track features two swirling riffs that play off each other. Throughout the album this interplay provides the landscape on which Daniels' caustic lyrics are emphasized. The strutting "Take The Fifth" best illustrates this renewed musical template. The soft touch of "10:20 AM" somberly acts as a terrific counterpoint to the high-energy of "Take A Walk" and "Me And The Bean." The band's tour-de-force "The Fitted Shirt" seems to best convey this urban sophistication, as Daniels reflects on the decline of American culture/society through the analogy of his father's wardrobe.

Even the droning, cinematic-inspired instrumental "The Book Is A Movie" offers a new perspective on the future of this most talented of bands. The song stands above most similar examples among popular music. Even without Daniels' vocals as a centre point, the song radiates charm and earnest joie de vive. The epilogue for the album is the quiet jazz-inspired "Chicago At Night," which illustrates the sonic power of a ringing guitar. Girls Can Tell will be on many people's best of lists for the new year.