Photo of Hot Thoughts album cover.
A surprising gem, the newly released album Hot Thoughts adds a sentence to the narrative of the band that is Spoon. Filled with dark synth waves and warm drum rattles, Hot Thoughts succeeds as an album that is classically Spoon, only with an extra touch of magic. While their last album, They Want My Soul, is well known for its swirling grooves and inconspicuously catchy choruses, their ninth album Hot Thoughts continues the narrative in an unexpected, ethereal dance-floor track.
The album’s opener, “Hot Thoughts” begins the album with slick guitar riffs and sultry vocals, maintaining a mantra-like repetition. Instant classic “Do I Have to Talk You Into It” pulls the listener with its warpy, lopsided cuts in a raw release of kinetic energy, all paying homage to the previous albums. On “Pink Up” the album shifts to a moody, texturally satisfying and meditative groove, proving the range and risk Spoon attempts in Hot Thoughts. In the heartbreakingly sensuous ballad, “I Ain’t the One”, Daniels cries “I ain’t the one, so now I’m leaving you all behind me,” in his gritty voice paired with synth stabs and skippy melodies. The album picks up again on “Tear It Down” with another instant classic resembling sounds like Arcade Fire. Perhaps the most astounding song on the album is the last, “Us” demonstrates Spoon’s capabilities in a riveting number, frayed with flowing keys and an ominously beautiful saxophone.
Hot Thoughts is an album that sweats pure, unadulterated melodies, swinging between intimately expansive and comfortably familiar sounds. Their newly released album gives a nod to their past, but still leaves room for possibilities in their future. Though Spoon stuck to their well-known, reliable formula, Hot Thoughts still inspires with its eclectic, harmonic dimensions, making it a well-balanced and produced album.