SPOON at Sound Academy (11 Polson), Monday (March 29), 7:30 pm. $26. rotate.com.
Spoon are no overnight success. Despite unswerving critical acclaim, it’s taken 17 years and seven albums for the indie rockers to reach their commercial peak, a number-four Billboard debut for 2010’s Transference.
[rssbreak]
What makes the feat so impressive is that the Austin-bred foursome have done it on their own terms, having spent most of their career on indie labels.
“Majors may tell you they’re not going to influence the artistic side of things, but they always try to,” says drummer Jim Eno, in earnest.
“It’s like dating someone for who they are and then trying to change them. It just doesn’t make sense.
“Sorry, I get a little fired up about this.”
His vehemence is understandable. Spoon’s brief flirtation with Elektra in the late 90s resulted in one album and an unceremonious kick to the curb. They’ve stuck with Merge ever since, a partnership that’s offered a great deal of creative control.
“We can pretty much do whatever we want and they’ll support it,” says Eno.
It sounds like a gamble, yet Spoon’s stripped-down hook-heavy formula – relaxed slightly on Transference, thanks to a few boundary-shifting structural experiments – has led to one of the most reliable catalogues of the last decade. It’s just taken the public a while to notice.
“It’s been a slow climb,” Eno says. “But it’s finally paying off.”
music@nowtoronto.com
