Time may not exactly heal all wounds, but it can lend the perspective and strength to channel pain into something positive. Such is the case with
Spoon
; their perennial
indie rock
underdog status and disastrous stint on
Elektra
have focused and tempered the trio's brash energy instead of crushing it. Their third full-length,
Girls Can Tell
, reflects the group's lean, hungry stance in its spare, spiky, immaculately crafted songs.
"Take the Fifth"
and
"Take a Walk"
take
's smart, bouncy, slightly tough signature sound to another level; while the ghosts of
the Pixies
,
Nirvana
, and
Elvis Costello
still haunt songs like
"Lines in the Suit,"
's sharp wordplay, barbed guitars, and appealingly raw vocals prove that the group embraces their influences without becoming slaves to them.
Britt Daniel
's increasingly eclectic and expansive songwriting comes to the forefront on
"Everything Hits at Once,"
a taut, brooding
pop
song driven by vibes, keyboards, yearning, and pride;
"Me and the Bean"
suggests the direction
alternative
/
should have taken after
's implosion. This album is also
's most emotionally eclectic collection of songs, ranging from
"Anything You Want,"
a sunny
song drawn with just a few artfully placed strokes to
"1020 AM,"
a brooding, slightly psychedelic piece of
folk-rock
that recalls
Daniel
's
Drake Tungsten
side project.
"This Book Is a Movie,"
an appropriately tense, filmic instrumental, and
"Chicago at Night,"
a slightly spooky
song with winding guitars and an off-kilter melody, complete
, making it
's most mature, accomplished work to date and a fine balance of fire and polish. ~ Heather Phares