When I can't find the way to reach you my love
E. A Solinas | MD USA | 07/09/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's about time we heard from Spoon again, after two years of silence following their last album "Ga Ga However Many Ga's It Has" (disclaimer: Not real title). And in the three songs of the "Got Nuffin" EP, this constantly underrated rock band reminds me exactly why I love them so much -- lean and taut rockers, along with a headscratchy experimental track.
"When I'm with you, oh my brothers/I feel like a king/it feels like I'm dreaming," Britt Daniels' sandy voice grinds out, over buzzing sweeping guitar and sharp drums. It's a tune that manages to be catchy and angular at the same time, and it blasts through an expanse of lean, muscular instrumentation before telling us, "Got nothing to lose but emptiness and hang-ups/Oh, when I know you're watching out for me/I look for what matters/And I notice what matters."
Then there are a pair of B-sides, which couldn't be more different. "Stroke Their Brains" is another classic Spoon rocker, but a bit less steady than "Got Nuffin" -- a weird cycling rocker spiked with sharp brief chords and beats. But "Tweakers" is a whole different animal: a blurry percussive little tune smeared with moments of rattling, flute and woobly synth. It sounds a little like listening to someone stomping out a tune through a fuzzy radio.
In fact, "Tweakers" is what keeps the "Got Nuffin EP" from being a perfect little nugget of Spoony goodness. It's not a BAD song -- as experimental songs go, it's down-to-earth and devoid of pretension, and it has a certain weird catchiness. But it also lacks much of a tune or many ups or downs, and it fails to show off Spoon's musical strengths.
The other two songs are more typical Spoon fare. The band weaves together strong, lean, muscular melodies that charge along steadily with the occasional blare of instrumentals (like that sudden crash-down-on-everything part of "Stroke Their Brains"). The songs are heavy on percussion, bass and guitar, with plenty of buzzing and jangling riffs that pop up every few seconds -- and if you listen carefully, you can hear some hints of piano and tambourine.
Britt Daniels' voice matches the raw, rough edges that the music has -- he always sounds like he needs a drink of water, but there's a lot of power in his singing. Same with the lyrics: they're stripped down but evocative and emotional ("And I got nothing to lose but darkness and shadows/Got nothing to lose but bitterness and patterns/When I can't find the way to reach you my love/I'm just not the same...").
Spoon's new EP "Got Nuffin" is painfully brief, and one of the B-side songs seens like a sonic doodle. But the band's first work in two years is definitely worth hearing, and leaves me hoping that another album follows soon."
Surprise Spoon
Anaximander | Texas | 07/02/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This unexpected single is a nice surprise for Spoon fans. Two of the three songs, Got Nuffin and Stroke Their Brains, are good Spoon rockers with typically great Spoon drums and rhythm. No great re-invention of the band, but the sound of Spoon doing what they do well. A little more raw and rockin' than their last release, which is refreshing. The third song, Tweakers, is some low fi rhythm track - kinda cool and interesting, but not really a song.
Update: Well the latest Spoon album just came out, and it contains the song, Got Nuffin. Stroke Their Brains is still great though - its worth 99 cents for the mp3 file. Not sure its worth the price of the whole single, though."
Old Spoon meets new Spoon for an amazing single
Judith Toohey | 07/07/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Got Nuffin shows a little more of the older Spoon side when they sounded more biting rock than indie. More people may be familiar with Kill The Moonlight, Gimmie Fiction, and Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, but the title track, "Got Nuffin" is a glimpse back to the sounds of A Series of Sneaks or "Jonathan Fisk" from Kill The Moonlight
"Tweakers" is an interesting listening experience due to it's distorted drum beat and hand claps but none the less transitional song into "Stroke Their Brains" which is a somewhat erie song, still excellent nonetheless, and don't be fooled by the 7 minute and 45 second run time.
"Tweakers (Remix)" is basically the same thing only with sound voice clips in there of random sayings.
Without a doubt, "Got Nuffin" and "Stroke Their Brains" are classic sounding Spoon songs while both "Tweakers" are for the people who know and are used to Spoon's sometimes non-sensical style
No less than five stars from real Spoon fans. Anything less, you haven't a clue."
Track Listings (3) - Disc #1