Spoon - Gimme Fiction

by Paul Waller

published: 8 / 3 / 2016

Paul Waller examines Texan indie rockers Spoon's 2005 breakthrough fifth album, which has been given some thorough reissue treatment with a beautifully lavish new double CD edition

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In coming back to this record ten years or more after the fact, one thing is crystal clear. The thing hasn’t aged a day. Back then I felt ‘Gimme Fiction’ presented me with a palate that contained all the parts I loved best about Teenage Fanclub mixed with a healthy dose of ‘Sea Change’-era Beck. And, after the disappointment of Beck’s ‘Guero’ LP in 2005, Spoon’s new offering seemed the perfect indie rock antidote. Today, tracks which I initially thought of as filler, such as album closer ‘Merchants of Soul’, really touch me. The maturity in the verses, the adultness here really hits. Listening to this in one sitting it becomes clear that ten years is a long old time. I can now hear a latter day Beatles influence creeping through, plus, of course, that special something that’s always been part of Spoon. That relentless rhythm, whether implemented by the drums or the keys, that propels their songs forward (Hold your hands up, ‘They Never Got You’) is really pushed to the forefront of the band's efforts on ‘Gimme Fiction’. It’s really rather impressive still, a decade on. The reason for this re-discovery is of course that the album has been lavishly repackaged by Matador Records. The bonus disc or LP depending on how you grab yours brings little new to the table, some home demos that hold interest to the fan but nothing amongst these offcuts matched the album proper, no matter what 'Rolling Stone' tells you. But, let me tell you, this is still worth you spending some of your-hard earned on thanks to the beautifully written book (Well, it’s larger than a booklet) that comes with it. It details the process of the creation of the record from beginning to end with some cool photographs and un-nerdy presentation. It’s worth the money alone. Fantastic job, Matador. Fantastic.