Spoon Merits A Place On Your To-Do List

Get your ears open Austin local licks fans. Spoon walks amongst we music mavens with a treat that manages to showcase the numerous hats this homegrown bunch wears. Britt Daniel's in excellent rasp heightened form on "Do You" which comes as part of "They Want My Soul" the new album due tomorrow. They pay equal attention to people who dig pop and people who want a strong straight up the middle rock effort. Key to giving this effort the respect it deserves is bassist Rob Pope who has only been part of Spoon since 2007. You'd think he and Britt had been on the same music wavelength since the band's inception in the early '90s. As summer ditties go "Do You" is definitely on track to linger in the itch I can't scratch portion of your brain because the lyrical imagery puts the many sticky, humid, borderline inhumane Austin summers we all know and, at least in some instances, detest on front burner status. You'd imagine Britt would know better than to employ popsicles as an instant cooling off example since A-Town is home to both Amy's Ice Cream and Sweet Caroline's Snow Shack but the low resolution palate pleaser is bound to enable the song to hold up to repeated listenings because everything from the back beat, to the guitar playing, to the vocals isn't so complicated that we need a Mensa scholar to discern the meaning of everything. If you're at your breaking point with both Austin's construction and bottleneck traffic, and who actually can profess they aren't, shots of melting tar getting ickier by the minute under Austin's late afternoon sun fit nicely with Britt's razor blunted chorus. What gives a romance the added naughtiness makes its cameo appearance late in the song. Belts are unbuckling. Need I draw you a diagram? Black and blue have, in may cases, been the only honest colors on the relationship color wheel that there are. That depends on how abusive the spouse is I'm sure. Love at the crossroads is the primary topic at the chorus juncture. Britt, heart dangling precariously on his sleeve os daring enough to ask, "Do you run when it's just getting good?" Many's the star-crossed lover who would nod affirmatively while checking to see if his roll-on deodorant was holding up under the strain. Do you run or do you... In that sentence and a half you notice the female half of this possibly soon to be aborted chemistry lesson looking back at her fella, questioning whether or not she's making a mistake by being so maddeningly hasty. Besides Britt Daniel the only other constant since 1993 has been drummer Jim Eno. He's comfortable in his own skin as his astutely paced contribution demonstrates. The argument could be made that the regular repetition of "do" at the beginning misleads us into thinking the song is about as welcome to the eardrums as the title "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" was on store shelves. Good to know they've left kindergarten and rejoined those of us seated at the grown-up language table. I find that argument not firmly rooted in fact. Playing with our heads in this fashion encourages us to be open minded before the fancy free foursome that's been stoking the coolness factors of Austin clubgoers for quite a spell now. Long story short do I think Spoon's new single represents a classy use of a brief block of your precious time. There's "yes" and then there's "hell, yes". Put me down for the latter.