Rock-snob darling Spoon is just one of those bands that always sounds like itself — whether Britt Daniel and company are screwing around with classic R&B tropes, soulful multi-instrumentation or timeless chamber-pop, the familiar listener knows in just a few seconds exactly what group they're hearing. Which is a good thing, because those elements of Spoon's sound that never change, from Daniel's slightly gravelly warble to an always-intact balance of sophistication and grit, are always compelling.
This article appears in Jan 13-19, 2010.