Shuffle Aces: I Saw The Light – Spoon

This weeks shuffle discover comes from a band I’ve loved from the moment I first heard them about 10 years ago. There are lots of bands that leave you scratching your head around why they haven’t become bigger than they are. For me, Spoon is right up there. This Austin-based crew aren’t exactly obscure – especially in the college rock scene in the US – but they’ve never really cracked the international fame and fortune that I believe they so richly deserve. The genius behind them is Britt Daniel and he is just that – a genius. Consistently cranking out brilliant songs, all of which are unquestionably Spoon songs, but so many of which push stylistic boundaries. This track, I Saw The Light, is a great example of his skill.

I love a song with a simple riff that can get played repeatedly but never seems to get bogged down. Daniel uses a straightforward descending chord pattern in the track. At about the 2:17 mark it kicks into an instrumental section that for the next three minutes features very subtle changes. How the hell does he keep it going for the entire three minutes? It’s brilliant.

I also love the guitar sound he gets. I’m a huge fan of fuzzy overdriven guitars, but too often it’s a sound that loses any melodic feel. Not here. Add to that the keyboards – something I’m really into at the moment for my own stuff let alone tracks I listen to – and this is one of my favourite songs of the last few months. Please check out Spoon (especially their last two albums Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Transference).

Shuffle Aces is a new series of posts that will highlight a song of the week that “shuffling” has brought forth. With all the streaming services it’s not just an iPod on shuffle mode that we use to discover new stuff, but the principle remains the same: hit play and wait to see what gems come forth.

One Comment on “Shuffle Aces: I Saw The Light – Spoon

  1. One of my favorite songs by my favorite bands… A must see gig as well!

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