May 3–10, 2001

music picks|rock/pop

Spoon

After getting the ol’ heave ho from Elektra following the unfortunate but predictable failure of 1998’s too-smart Series of Sneaks to reach a mainstream audience, Austin’s Spoon could have cast their tarnished selves onto the indie rock scrap heap. But these are Texans we’re talking about, and Texans pick themselves up, dust off their chaps and drill an oil well or ride a horse or something. Or keep on recording great rock records. On Girls Can Tell, their 2001 offering on indie label Merge, the trio (a quartet on tour) — headed up by guitarist/vocalist Britt Daniel — veers from their earlier post-punk leanings for a cooler, bluesier sound. The album, a collection of ruminations on isolation (like "Lines in the Suit" which alludes to the band’s label fiascoes) is defined by an uncharacteristic preponderance of keyboards and slow strutting tempos. Spoon’s learned that smart songwriting doesn’t guarantee crossover success. And they seem to be just fine with that.

—Brian Howard

Fri., May 4, 10 p.m., $8, with The Numbers and Cropduster at The Khyber, 56 South Second St., 215-238-5888.