Spoon is an American rock band from Austin, Texas, consisting of members Britt Daniel, Jim Eno (drums), Alex Fischel, and Ben Trokan. The band was formed in Austin in October 1993 by Daniel and Eno.
Critics have described the band's musical style as rock and roll, post-punk, and art rock.
members: John Croslin, Britt Daniel, Andy Maguire, Jim Eno, Roman Kuebler, Brad Shenfeld, Ben Trokan, Robert Pope
formed in: Austin
labels: Matador Records, Elektra, Peek-A-Boo Records
genres: indie rock
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The band was formed in late 1993 by lead singer and guitarist Britt Daniel and drummer Jim Eno, after the two met as members of the Alien Beats. The name Spoon was chosen to honor the 1970s German krautrock band Can, whose hit song "Spoon" was the theme song to the 1985 movie Jagged Edge in the United States.
Underlined songs have their story further down.
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“The Way We Get By” is a song by the American indie rock band Spoon, released in 2002 on the group's fourth studio album, Kill the Moonlight. Although it did not chart, the track became one of the band's most recognizable songs and gained wider attention through its use in television and later compilation releases.
“The Way We Get By” was written by Britt Daniel during the sessions for Kill the Moonlight. Daniel has stated that the chorus emerged spontaneously early in the writing process, later forming the basis for the completed track. The lyrics reference several works by Iggy Pop and The Stooges, reflecting Daniel's interest in 1970s punk and proto‑punk influences. The band intentionally scaled back its sound during this period, favoring minimal arrangements and rhythmic focus over dense production. “The Way We Get By” emerged from this approach, built around a repetitive guitar riff, spare percussion, and clipped vocal delivery.
The song was recorded in 2002 and produced by Mike McCarthy alongside the band. Credits associated with digital releases list Daniel and drummer Jim Eno as performers and mixing engineers. A music video directed by Steve Hanft was filmed in New York's Chinatown district during a tour. According to Daniel, a sequence involving a package handoff was removed after MTV determined it appeared too similar to a drug transaction.
“The Way We Get By” is a minimalist indie rock song built around piano, bass, and percussion. The lyrics describe a group of young people engaging in rebellious or escapist behavior as a means of coping with boredom or disaffection.
Although the song did not chart, it became one of Spoon's most widely recognized tracks and has been cited as a fan favorite. While not released as a major commercial single in the traditional sense, it received significant airplay on alternative and college radio stations in the United States.
"I Turn My Camera On" is a song by American indie rock band Spoon, the third track on their fifth studio album, Gimme Fiction (2005). It was first released as a download single on March 30, 2005, and later as a 7-inch and CD single on July 4, 2005.
It was released through Merge Records in the US and Matador Records in the UK, who also distributed the download release. The song was written by band frontman Britt Daniel and produced by Daniel, Jim Eno, and Mike McCarthy.
Spoon frontman Britt Daniel wrote "I Turn My Camera On" in the same Austin, Texas, apartment where he wrote "The Way We Get By". It was one of the last songs he had written for Gimme Fiction before the band started to record at drummer Jim Eno's Public Hi-Fi studio in Austin. It was, however, the first song they recorded, as Daniel felt like the song was bound to be the album's lead single. He was directly inspired by Franz Ferdinand's 2004 song "Take Me Out". He chose to explore their music after discovering that his ex-girlfriend, Eleanor Friedberger, was dating their frontman, Alex Kapranos. Enamored by the song, Daniel then attempted to write a song with a similar yet distinct groove to that of the one in "Take Me Out". The first words...
In an interview with NPR Music, Daniel said that the song is about "emotional distance", adding that it is centered around "the idea of, instead of engaging with the world, you're holding a camera up, which, a) puts a camera in front of your face, and b) puts some distance between you and the outside world. And you're sort of documenting the world." He also felt that the line "You made me untouchable for life, and you wasn't polite" called back to people who "might have led [him] down that path", adding that "I don't think I'm untouchable, but sometimes I've felt that way." Heather Phares of AllMusic noted that the song also touches upon voyeurism.
Spoon created a music video to promote the song, which was directed by Autumn de Wilde and Wyatt Troll. "I Turn My Camera On" received five different single releases. The first release came on March 30, 2005, as a download single through the website of Matador Records. Later on, in the United States, a promotional 7-inch single was released through Merge Records. It featured a demo version of "I Turn My Camera On" and the non-album track "You Was It" on its B-side. In the United Kingdom, Matador handled the releases. They released a 7-inch single featuring just the demo version on the B-side as well as a CD single that also included both "You Was It" and another non-album track, "Carryout Kids". Both singles were released on July 4, 2005....
"I Turn My Camera On" received positive reviews from writers. Some critics applauded its similarities to Prince. Eric Carr of Pitchfork called it a "Prince-tastic masterpiece", while Amir Nezar of the Cokemachineglow blog enjoyed the song's "Prince-funk minimalism" as well as its "hip-shaking swagger". Carr also lauded the track as "one of the most breathtaking songs Spoon has ever produced". At PopMatters, Zeth Lundy wrote that Gimme Fiction "cements it mobilization" with the song, while David Marchese called it "discofantastic" and wrote that "the album draws strength from its refusal to be pinned down". Sandy Boer of Delusions of Adequacy called it the most adventurous song from the album. At AllMusic, Heather Phares complimented the...
Don't You Evah is the fifth EP by the indie rock band Spoon. It was released on April 8, 2008, by Merge Records.
It was released to promote the title track, the second single from their album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.