Interview with Britt Daniel of Spoon

(photo by Jon Behm via flickr)

Last week everyone was surprised to learn that Spoon would be releasing a new Got Nuffin EP, the band’s first newly recorded material since 2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. I was recently able to ask Britt Daniel a few questions about the progress he’s making on recording a new full-length album, how his songs evolve, and just what he thinks of the Keepon robots from the “Don’t You Evah” video. He was kind enough to take the time and respond, despite the bands hectic upcoming schedule (see the SpoonX3 shows they are curating in Austin at the beginning of July, as well as taking part in the Merge Records 20th Anniversary celebrations taking place in North Carolina at the end of July) and being in the middle of the recording process. Spoon are one of the few bands that I get genuinely excited about anytime they release new music, so I couldn’t be happier to not only have some new Spoon songs to listen to, but also have a moment to chat with the man that creates them.

Erik Thompson: I have to admit, I’m thrilled whenever I hear you and Spoon are working on new material. So, how is the writing/recording process going so far? I read that you’re working with Jon Brion. How is that going?

Britt Daniel: We got together for a week in February. We put down a few spontaneous instrumental things and he and I came up with ideas on some songs I’d started. Jon is a wild man. I’m not sure when/how those songs will come out… most of this next Spoon record is being done with Nicolas at Rare Book Room in Brooklyn and Mike McCarthy at his place in Austin.

ET: Any idea when can we expect to hear the new material?

BD: If we’re lucky we finish the album by the end of the summer.

ET: Also, are there any bands that you get excited about when you hear they are recording a new album?

BD: Q-Tip, Coin Under Tongue, the Clientele, Cliff Martinez, Carbon/Silicon, John Fogerty, Handsome Furs, D’Angelo, Deerhunter & Don Rickles.

ET: I’ve always thought Spoon’s album artwork has been consistently stunning and visually engaging. I’m wondering how much of that process you are involved in, and how important is it for you to pick just the right image to reflect the music found on the record.

BD: Thanks. I’m involved, I always go out and find the images myself, the only exception being the Gimme Fiction cover where I was working with a photographer who took that photo and picked that crop of the image. And you’re right, the cover should reflect the music in some way but more than anything I just look for an image that knocks me out.

(uncredited band photo via Merge)

ET: Where do you draw inspiration from while your recording a new record? Film/Literature/Music?

BD: Music and non-fiction.

ET: And do you still go out and see live music when you’re not on the road, or does that just remind you of what’s in store for you when you finish recording?

BD: I go see a lot of shows. And I love the part of being in a band where you’re doing nothing but getting from place to place and playing shows. People always seem to find it surprising that that’s really the low-stress part.

ET: I’m wondering if the change in locations affects your music in any way?

BD: Only as much as it changes your whole frame of mind. Sometimes that does happen with a change in city, you know? It probably happens to everyone.

ET: Does the song change at all when you take it from Austin, to L.A. or to Portland?

BD: Well not as much as simply the song will change with every new version that’s done of it. I mean, every new demo. Some of the songs get demo’d over and over.

ET: How do these different environments influence your creative process?

BD: I have a basement in Portland, so that’s the biggest thing. I can make noise, I can come up with vocals and all that without worrying that someone’s gonna hear.

ET: It seems like each successive Spoon album has been garnering more and more accolades and praise from various media outlets, which must be nice for you as an artist. But how do you look back at the evolution of your band and your sound over the years? Do you see all of your records as bold steps forward, or do you feel you’ve taken a few steps back/sideways along the way?

BD: I can see a big step forward across the board between Telephono and Soft Effects. And a big one from Sneaks to Girls Can Tell. I’m at Mike McCarthy’s studio right now and we just asked him to play live with us on some songs next month at the Austin shows. Mostly because he’s always knocking us that we used to invite John Croslin on stage with us but have never invited him. And also so that we don’t have to put him on the guest list. But anyway he’s sitting here trying to decide songs to play on and he’s playing Spoon albums in the room where he has all his records. And he just played some of Girls Can Tell and Kill the Moonlight and hearing them right now makes me think that our approach may have solidified with those two records, but there’s a big difference in the actual songs between then and now. Especially between then and the record we’re making now. But my impression of Spoon records is gonna be so different from someone who just listens to them and didn’t have anything to do with making them. I may be the worst person to ask.

CD: How in the world can I get one of those Keepon robots from the “Don’t You Evah” video. That thing (and the video as well) is awesome.

Did you at least get to keep one?

BD: No. I wasn’t a huge fan of those videos—you know, the music making a cute little yellow thing gyrate. But what those robots are actually made to do is really pretty amazing and intriguing. They’re made to help autistic kids come out of their shells and they’ve been quite successful at that. That’s the video I want to see: a documentary about how the robot works in reaching those kids in ways that human beings can’t.

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Also: Spoon “Got Nuffin” Review