Lucifer On the Sofa by Spoon

After 30 years as a band, I can finally say Spoon is a Rock N’ Roll band with a capital N’. With nine albums of decidedly great indie rock under their belt, much of it classified as lowercase rock n’ roll, Spoon decided to crank their volume to 11 on Lucifer On the Sofa. Hit play on “Wild” above — listen to that heavy beat, those guitars and keyboards. You can just picture a dude in too-tight jeans strutting around a stage, playfully fondling a mic stand while twirling around the mic at the end of its tether. After that, put on “The Hardest Cut,” (fair warning: this is a rather disturbing music video — proceed with caution or just hit play and move the window off screen) and you can hear the band turning all the knobs to the right, giving the listener a visceral, guttural response that makes you bite your lower lip and thrust your hips.

Spoon, from Austin, Texas, have had two consistent members in their three decades: drummer Jim Eno, and principle songwriter and lead singer Britt Daniel. There have been 11 other guys that have slotted between those two in that span. The current lineup features keyboardist Alex Fischer (who was featured on their 2017 album Hot Thoughts — #7 in 2017), Gerardo Larios on backing guitar and vocals (joined in 2019), and Ben Trokan on bass, who only joined in 2021. It’s odd to think the band that recorded They Want My Soul back in 2014 (#3 that year) is out aside from Britt and Jim. It’s even more amazing when you consider how consistent the band has been in their 30 years. From their stellar debut, Telephono, in 1996 to now, every single one of Spoon’s album has been top notch.

So it’s all the more surprising to hear the band throw off the “indie” part of their sound and go full-on rawk. To commemorate their ascent to the top of Mt. Rock N’ Roll (not really, but go with me here), and prior to the release of Lucifer, the band released two Tom Petty covers they recorded in studio: “Breakdown” and “A Face in the Crowd.” Alex and Jim were masked up behind Britt because this was the height of the pandemic. Britt’s voice does some serious cracking, probably because he hasn’t been on a stage for a few years by this point. They also released a Bowie cover, “I Can’t Give Everything Away,” from Blackstar (#20 in 2016), to mark what would have been his 76th birthday in early January 2023.

All in all, Lucifer took most of the five years between it and Hot Thoughts to write and record. The band entered the pandemic in early 2020 with what they thought was a nearly completed album. And then Covid-19 changed things, as it did for everyone. Thankfully for us, it all changed for the even better. Check out the track “My Babe” for some less rocking, more traditional Spoon fare.

The band recorded some commentary for the three single they’ve released from the album: “My Babe behind the song,” “The Hardest Cut behind the song,” and “Wild behind the song.” All three videos show the trio – Britt, Jim, and Alex, giving us some insight into how the songs and the album came about. On top of that, the band collaborated with hit dub music producer Adrian Sherwood to release a track-by-track “reconstruction” of the album, called Lucifer on the Moon. And they released one video, for “On the Radio (Adrian Sherwood Reconstruction)” (funny enough).

In my review of Hot Thoughts in 2017, I started it by saying “Consistently good.” I might now add another adverb at the front of that statement, “Crazily, consistently good.” It truly is a wonder. Daniel and Eno (no relation to Brian or Roger) have proven themselves as master songwriters and performers. This past summer, the band went out with Interpol (#21 in 2014) on a double-headliner tour, and I got to see them play the Paramount here in Seattle. Unsure if it was like this at every stop, but in Seattle, Spoon opened for Interpol. It was a sweaty, bouncy, rocking affair — I exhausted my aging body and lost my voice, all before Interpol came on stage. And when they did, I nearly fell asleep. It was truly Interpol’s “night” to Spoon’s “day.” If you are a popular band, and are asked to co-headline a tour with Spoon, I think you should turn down the offer. You will not able to match the brilliance that is a Spoon show. On top of that, you‘d be hard-pressed to find any band who has been as good as Spoon has for so long. Pick up Lucifer, or any of their albums, and judge for yourself.

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5. Palomino by First Aid Kit
6. We've Been Going About This All Wrong by Sharon Van Etten
7. SOS by SZA
8. Wet Leg by Wet Leg
9. Chloë and the Next 20th Century by Father John Misty
10. Big Time by Angel Olsen
11. Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road
12. Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To the Sky by Porridge Radio
13. I Walked with You a Ways by Plains
14. The Last Goodbye by Odesza
15. A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile
16. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
17. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

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I Don’t Live Here Anymore by The War on Drugs

We’re now a month into 2022, I’m 48 years old, my kids are 13 and 4, and I’m finally willing to admit it: I love dad rock. My parents raised me on classic rock (shout out to KMOD 97.5 FM in Tulsa, Oklahoma). My tastes have been shaped by a heavy foundation of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and The Eagles (for better or worse). I’m aware that a lot of what I have loved in the past decade could be categorized as dad rock – previous Top 31 #1s like The National, Elbow, Phosphorescent, and Bon Iver all qualify. But none of those are so obviously Dad Rock with a capital D as the #1 of 2021: The War of Drugs. I’m fairly certain if you look up “dad rock” in the dictionary, you’ll find a glamour shot of lead singer / songwriter Adam Granduciel, with his flowing locks, vaseline smeared on the lens, with ghostlike images of his band flanked around him.

I Don’t Live Here Anymore, their fifth studio album, quickly jumped into the running for top album when it was released on October 29, 2021. At the time, I had already convinced myself that Big Red Machine was going to be my #1, given how much my family loved hearing How Long Do You Think It‘s Going to Last over the year. But the first time I heard that strong piano ring out on the opening song of Anymore (“Living Proof,” shown in the video above - hit play on that right now while you read on), my knees got shaky, my confidence wavered. There’s just something about Granduciel’s raspy voice, his beautiful songwriting, his strong melodies — this album grabbed ahold of my playlist and muscled its way to the front. My wife fell in love with it, too – we must have listened to the album at least three times a week from the day it came out. And the excitement when it comes on hasn’t yet worn off – will it ever?

The War on Drugs perfected the form: that classic rock sound of the 70s and 80s, in songs about lost love while driving down the highway over sweeping crescendos and slow guitar solos. This album took me back to my childhood so much that I actually sent the album to my dad for Christmas, and of course he loves it, too. Truly Dad Rock. I dare you to listen to the fourth song, “I Don’t Wanna Wait,” and not picture in your mind’s eye a musical montage showing Crockett and Tubbs flying across the waves of the Atlantic in a speedboat on their way to break up a cocaine deal gone bad.

Granduciel, whose real name is Adam Granofsky, leads the charge in the band, but there’s five other members who make up the current lineup: David Hartley on bass, Robbie Bennett on keyboards, Charlie Hall on drums, Jon Natchez on sax and Anthony LaMarca on rhythm guitar. Various members have dropped in an out since they formed in 2005 (including Kurt Vile, who was an original member before breaking off for his own solo work), but this lineup has been intact since their third album, Lost in the Dream took the world by storm (and appeared at #13 in the Top 31 that year).

This is now the third album put out by this particular War on Drugs lineup. In addition to Dream, their last album, A Deeper Understanding, also appeared on the Top 31, but it was near the bottom at #29 in 2017, mainly due to me not giving the proper chance. It won Best Rock Album at the Grammys that year. I have no excuse, but I do plan on returning to it, thanks to the strength of Anymore.

And Anymore is such a strong album. I recommend headphones when you put it on. Granduciel is legendary for the amount of time he spends on the production of his albums. Hints of Jimmy Iovine’s production of Tom Petty’s Damn the Torpedoes run throughout. It’s a pristine recording, something you can’t hear just anywhere. One of my favorite sounds in all of music is the quick, high-pitched yet intimate sound that the pads of fingers make when quickly moved up and down the neck of a guitar while searching for that next chord. Listen for it – once you hear it, you can’t stop hearing it.

Granduciel and band have found the top of the mountain. The tip top comes at the second song on the album, “Harmonia’s Dream.” At nearly six and a half minutes, it builds an amazing wall of sounds across two verses and choruses before taking a turn at 2:45 when the keyboards pierce through at the three minute mark into an extended bridge that will leave you in a fit of anticipation but the time the full band kicks in again at the 4:45 point. Then everything hits all at once and you’re moving and shaking uncontrollably when the guitar solo kicks in at 5:15. “You’re on your own” the band sings in harmony – and they’re right. The world has melted away, the bad is gone, and you’re left with pure joy.

The title song is also fantastic, with the gorgeous harmonies of Lucius filling in the chorus.

Granduciel appeared on Song Exploder to talk about the making of this song, how Lucius got involved, how the end of the first stanza is filled with nonsense words… it’s a good listen.

The War on Drugs hit peak form, and I’m very curious to hear where they head next. Similar to the Nation of Language album at #4, I have trouble imagining them continuing without breaking out of their tried-and-true format. But they’ve done it consistently now for three albums, so maybe the formula is so dialed in that it doesn’t need to change. It’s clear that what started in the 70s and 80s has retained enough uncharted territory to leave room for new music here in the 2020s. I’m so excited to hear what’s next, and hopefully it hits on all the right 40-year-old notes.

There are many ways to listen to the 2021 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as the countdown is completed!

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A single song selection pulled from each album.

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#4 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Spoon

#1 on the 2021 Bacon Top 31 — The War on Drugs