Though they formed in 1994, Spoon rose to prominence after The Strokes and The White Stripes ushered in the back-to-basics guitar rock movement of the early 2000s. They are one of my favorite rock bands that have come out of that movement.Spoon writes excellent songs, but they are not a singles act. "Sister Jack" is the exception that proves the rule. It should have been a radio hit.
Like every other Spoon song, "Sister Jack" is lean and unpretentious, stripped down to its most essential elements. Everything is in its right place: the snare drum kick-off, the layered guitars and vocals, the tambourine, those hand claps. It's also one of the rare songs where the verse is more satisfying than the chorus.
The guys from Spoon actually seem to be having fun, which is why I think they are so darn endearing. (Are they--gasp!--smiling in that video?) Their music is an antidote to the moody post-grunge that came out of the late nineties, and their keep-it-simple-stupid aesthetic counters the overwrought rock that Radiohead spawned.
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