You know how in some movies there are those scenes where the main character walks into a bar and there is a band playing on the dark stage; the camera then focuses on the long haired and unkempt lead singer? Well, if one of the bands from one of those scenes ever made a full album it would probably sound something like Transference, the new album from Spoon. Transference has that good-hearted-slacker-contented-to-play-the-local-dive-forever feel to it.

That’s not such a terrible thing though. While that description might conjure up thoughts of uninspired rock that works best as background noise, there is something to be said for Transference’s lack of pretensions and straight forward approach. It’s all rather basic music laid out on the table with this album, and at their best the lyrics act as grounded explanations of sometimes abstract ideas. At their worst the lyrics could be compared to the laments of your neighborhood teenager who just learned guitar, “Nobody gets me” ... really is there a more purely adolescent sentiment than that?

The lyrics to songs like "The Mystery Zone" and "I Saw The Light" are slightly better and more in depth, but even these sound like they could have come from a “rock lyrics for dummies” book. To its credit, "I Saw The Light" has an interesting little jam session where the piano and guitar dance together nicely. But, even this is too nice. In the end it is little more than a well executed tease because the song is never opened up to scribble on your brain the way you are led to think it will. Instead the entire build up culminates in a disappointing abrupt stop. Cutting themselves off early happens a lot both metaphorically and literally, and while I suppose it could say something artistic about frustration, it’s nothing but a letdown to listen to.

The album’s ironic peak is the first song. Easily the most interesting and organic sounding on the album, "Before Destruction" is poetic and minimalistic. “Everyone loves you for your black eye” is the sort of insight you would hope this album would be full of, and it is really disappointing that it isn’t. All of this takes place over simple yet well crafted music, a great example of what Spoon can do, if only they want to.

If albums could truly speak for themselves, I suppose this one might say “Hi, my name is Transference. I am an “edgy” new release from a “hip Indie rock band” and I totally do my own thing. I am an expression of human nature and stuff, but don’t worry because my potential is stifled by my fear of going out of bounds. You probably won’t feel strongly either way about me, I am lukewarm incarnate.”