Release of the Week | Spoon – Hot Thoughts

/ ROTW / MATADOR RECORDS / SOUNDS GREAT /

Spoon returns! The veterans and masters of having a solid discography are back with the release of new album Hot Thoughts, the follow up to 2014’s They Want My Soul. I absolutely adored TWMS, and am delighted to see that Spoon maintains their formulaic sound but add a little hint of electronica to the pot. Kind of like adding Worcestershire sauce to cheese on toast; it’s not necessarily needed but boy do you enjoy that little kick. Hot Thoughts is the Worcestershire sauce to Spoon’s discography.

One thing that makes Spoon so dependable is their rigid commitment to their sound. It’s a simple formula: catchy drums, scratchy guitar riffs, and hooks; three elements designed to add some groove to airwaves. They Want My Soul succeeded in bringing atmospheres, which shrouded the instruments in various moods and tempos to help make the record a strong, cohesive unit. Hot Thoughts on the other hand looks to steal those atmospheres in its pocket and let them loose all at once, creating what’s easily Spoon’s most vibrant, colourful record yet.

The scatty, funky sound is one that’s celebrated right from the get go. ‘Hot Thoughts’ stutters and glitches it’s way into a compact groove, immediately kicking things off with a groove that repeats it’s desire to shake some hips; setting the stage for the remainder of the record to continue. Instant hit ‘Do I Have to Talk You Into It’ adds some stability with a simple footstep beat, and other single ‘Can I Sit Next to You’ features the same guitars that stumbled away from ‘I Turn My Camera On’. All three of these songs detail the shake up on Hot Thoughts while keeping within the tight confines of Spoon’s foundations.

While the sound doesn’t stray too far from the tried and tested, everything featured on Hot Thoughts is extremely entertaining. The pummelling basslines and powerful guitars of ‘Shotgun’, the emotional ‘Tear It Down’ and the near-six minute midnight walk of ‘Pink Up’ – it all comes with a level of variety that constantly keeps the record sounding fresh, something fun. This is something that Spoon continues to do so well even this far into their career. They’ve become masters of sounding like a hot new Indie band with each release, and Hot Thoughts is another testament to that. It’s a superb record, but should we really be surprised about that?