Coming in at 10A on the list (don't look into the A & B ranks, they came in dead even for my 10th favorite band) is Spoon. Spoon hails from Austin, Texas, a hotbed for excellent American music. Many critics have tried to pin down their indie-rock style, but their music mixes in jazz, blues, funk, rock and just about everything else under the sun. To this day, they have released six full length albums, with a seventh due in early 2010.
Lead singer Britt Daniel heads up the band, using his quirky voice and creative songwriting that has lead Spoon to the top of many critics' favorite lists and even Billboard Top 10 lists. Spoon's debut album, Telephono, hit in 1996, and was re-released in 2006, even reaching #36 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. They followed up early critical acclaim with A Series of Sneaks in 1998 and Girls Can Tell in 2001. Girls Can Tell gave Spoon their first album that reached near-mainstream critical acclaim, and it reached #46 on the Top Indie Albums chart. Popular songs "Chicago at Night" and "Everything Hits at Once" came from this album.
With their first taste of success, Spoon released Kill the Moonlight in 2002, only boosting their indie credibility. Fans and critics alike hailed the album as the future of music, and it reached #23 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. Pitchfork raved about the album, ranking it #19 of the 2000's - quite the accomplishment. Singles "The Way We Get By" and "Paper Tiger" also allowed Spoon to see the spotlight a bit more with a more mainstream audience.
Spoon's followup, Gimme Fiction, added a legit driving force to the band's portfolio. It reached #1 on Billboard's Indie Albums and #44 on the Billboard 200, their first addition to the mainstream list. Singles "I Summon You" and "I Turn My Camera On" were reveled for the successful creativity and named as top songs of the year by critics from all walks of the musical field.
The band's biggest mainstream success landed in their sixth album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. The album came in at #10 on the Billboard 200, their highest ranking to date. Great songs flowed off the record easily, and between this and Gimme Fiction, you have my two favorite Spoon releases. Songs like "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb", "Don't You Evah" and "Don't Make Me a Target" all had success, but the headliner from their top album was "The Underdog". Now, I could go into a full length essay on the song; I love it so much. However, for your sake, I'll leave it in this space and let you decide for yourself. Trust me, you should listen to every song I've listed here. They all have such great flavor and sound.
Finally, Spoon plans to release their seventh studio album, Transference, January 19, 2010. Nearly everyone involved in the indie-rock world is waiting patiently for this, and we even got our first taste a few weeks back with the release of the first single off the album, "Written in Reverse". It appears to be more of the same for the Texans, and they should expect even more mainstream success this time around.
To wrap it up, there's just one small thing to add. The band absolutely rocks live. They put on a phenomenal show touching on each of their albums, providing a great look into how the band has evolved throughout the years while still entertaining the crowd. If you get the time, look into Spoon. You won't regret it.
Next week - #9 on The Top 10 (Plus 1). Check back to see who it is.
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