After seeing them on Austin City Limits, I'm just not as high on this band as I once was.

Once of those performances that sucked the enthusiasm out of me.
Bummer, because I really was starting to like them.

So I probably won't buy Gimmie Fiction.

This is pretty intriguing to me. Anyone else agree disagree. I require some actualy thought on this one.

i'd agree with that, especially when considering how long it'd supposedly been in production. i had it on my "anticipating in 2004" list when it was titled the beast and the dragon are adored. and then when i finally heard it, i didn't like it. i listened to it again last night and maybe like it okay, but it won't be near the top of my list.

A) This is correct, GCT is the best of the three.
B) Sufjan has nothing to do with this thread. Someone is fixated.
C) Spell check to the rescue.
D) Why do we should on ourselves?

Not even close. Let me think. I tend to block out crushing disappointments.

i think that they've always been terrible and this one is terrible so no, not disappointed.

Just fixated on why people like bad albums/artists or why they tend to like the worst things an artist has put out, tha's all.

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up for me. I don't think it's a bad album exactly. But based on the pre-release hype and long wait, I expected it to be the king of all Spoon albums. And what I got sounded to me like b-sides from KTM (the awesome Camera excepted). B-sides that wear out their welcome by a good minute apiece.

I really don't understand how anyone who liked KTM can feel that Gimme Fiction is a disappointment. KTM stripped the sound down to its barest essentials, and GF built on that template. It's Spoon doing what Spoon does - so if you never liked the band then, yeh, it's just more of the same - but for anyone who ever dug the band in the first place GF is a pretty cool continuation of their progress.

I agree with many of the points made in this thread:

1. Gimme Fiction is good, but not as good as KTM.
2. It would be a much, much better album with a quality B-side in place of the awful "Was It You?".
3. It will probably remain knocking on the door to my 2005 Top 10. 11 or 12 sounds about right.
4. Not only am I in the A Series of Sneaks camp, I have taken up permanent residence therein.
5. I was going to say my most crushing disappointment of 2005 is JV's Pixel Revolt, but that's really more of a "would be a kick-ass EP". I guess SKM's Tiny Cities is my most crushing disappointment. I still look forward to a proper second album, as the whole Modest Mouse thing didn't really do it for me. It's odd, because I usually love covers by Kozelek. Truth be told, most of my beloved artists put forth disappointing releases this year. I wasn't crazy about the Of Montreal album, the Volebeats album could have been a lot better, Malkmus was largely meh, Pernice Brothers would be the runner-up for most crushing disappointment (only because I had higher hopes for SKM), New Pornos really didn't have enough staying power, Frank Black mailed it in, Dressy Bessy didn't make enough of an impact, Death Cab decided to never again leave the mall, and Alaska! should probably just secede at this point.

I think you nailed it when you said KTM stripped their sound down to the barest essentials. That's exactly what I liked about -- its sparseness, space and that there was not an unneeded note or instrument. Too much of today's music sounds unnecessarily cluttered to my ears. By building on the template, GF goes in the wrong direction for me.

And I recognize that its Spoon doing what Spoon does, but KTM was the one standout for me in their catalog. That said, GF has grown on me but still its borderline top ten in a relatively weak year. Pernice Brothers has actually grown on me too.

I really shouldn't be that negative about this year as I really haven't heard that many releases. But I do agree that of the ones that I was looking forward to the most, a high percentage have been disappointing with Andrew Bird being my biggest disappointment.

gas.

leak.

I think was it you suffers for having to come after a similar sounding song.

try the album in reverse order...I like it more

Nope. I like GF---not as much as KTM, GCT or SOS, but it's still quite good.

I don't think I had a "crushing" disappointment this year, but the closest to that description is probably Guero.

Other slighter disappointments: Alaska, Broadcast, Doves, Oranges Band, Manitoba/Caribou.

I'd disagree with FT regarding the JV and Malkmus---I like both of those quite a lot. I know I'm in the minority on those two, though.

I hate when hype really tears down something and gives it absolutely zero chance to swim on its own accord. I agree, it was heavily built up, and maybe Britt & co. felt a little under pressure, but I think in a few years we'll be able to go back and listen to it, and say it wasn't as bad as initially thought.

DYL--I totally agree with you on the Oranges Band, I cannot for the life of me get into them, and I was just listening to SM album and loving it last night. So, yr not alone on that front.

This thread has too many acronyms.

I'm in the ASOS camp. I also think KTM was garbage, stripped down or not. GF had some high points, but I lost the desire to go back and listen to it, though I am planning on doing so tonight (fuckers).

Oranges Band was a disappointment, but I don't dislike them. Frank Black was forgettable after a couple weeks.

this nails it for me.

That is pretty nutty. I've been listening to this album in fairly heavy rotation since Bloor sent it my way. I think it excellent stuff.

As for Spoon, I'm listening to Gimme Fiction right now and I still like it quite a lot. After first pass listening to all their stuff last year, courtesy of a newsgroup flood, I took to Kill the Moonlight more than the others. Consider it an unbiased opinion because I'd never heard note one until that time and had zero preconceptions of what was "best" and what was "shit" aka what I should like.

I'm beginning to think this might be a mood record that you can totally dig if in the right disposition for it and think its completely weak sauce otherwise.

I broke it out for a listen tonight trying to find a song to throw on an annual mix I make for a friend and am coming up completely blank. So much for growing on me.

I guess I'm going with Two Sides/Monsieur Valentine if anything, but its not a lock.