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Dec 21, 2015 Web Exclusive By Scott Dransfield

Gimme Fiction was a landmark album for Spoon, another big leap in the middle of a career that had already made two or three big ones. Coming three years after Kill the Moonlight, a collection of roughshod soul sounds, Fiction sounded slick and rich, laying down massive piano and bass grooves and riding them through to the three-minute sunset. Almost every song features an irresistible hook, from the deep, slow lurch of opener “The Beast and Dragon, Adored” to the unstoppable beat of “They Never Got You” and the noisy feedback borne on top of piano and handclaps in “Merchants of Soul.”

A remaster and reissue of this classic album may seem unnecessary just 10 years later, but the crisp and clean sound of the album, as well as the wealth of home demo material included, more than justify it. It’s fun to hear a sound so often considered simple and stripped down actually rendered to its bare bones. Check out the demo of the funky “Was It You?” at least, for undeniable proof of Spoon’s foundation in pure and unfettered rock songwriting. (www.spoontheband.com)

Author rating: 9/10