Spoon - Hot Thoughts

If ‘They Want My Soul,’ confronted frontman Britt Daniel’s feelings about fame and music industry politics, ‘Hot Thoughts’ represents an attempted escapist rush. There are fewer lyrical or existential burdens here as he whips through title track, ‘Hot Thoughts’ and its funky go-go backdrop. It’s a visceral rush, and Spoon forge into new sonic territory with the disco inflections of ‘First Caress,’ the surging club backbeat of ‘Shotgun,’ and the sweeping synthesisers of ‘Can I Sit Next To You.’ At times it feels more like The Scissor Sisters.

Of course, Britt always wonders about closing the gap between himself and others, even when it seems like he’s avoiding the question. A pop masterclass in places, ‘Hot Thoughts’ is about the degree to which Britt Daniel’s wild, immediate artistry ultimately becomes the same thoughtful project. A planned dalliance, ‘Hot Thoughts’ reveals its irony: a well-thought rush of blood, a planned frisson. It’s a turn on with limits.