Not long after a new Spoon song called “I Ain’t The One” appeared on TV, Britt Daniel announced that his band’s ninth album Hot Thoughts would be out on St. Patrick’s Day. Now we have confirmation from the label end — specifically, from Matador Records. After leaving longtime label home Merge to release 2014’s They Want My Soul on major label subsidiary Loma Vista, Spoon are going back to their earliest label, the one that released their 1996 debut album Telephono and 1997’s Soft Effects EP. That business decision doesn’t reflect a return to Spoon’s earliest sound, though. Today we also get to hear “Hot Thoughts,” the new album’s title track and opening number, and it represents uncharted territory for Daniel and company. Despite exuding a familiar swaggering essence this band will probably never shake, this song brings in all sorts of unexpected ingredients, from a beat that could practically qualify as dance-rock to dramatic orchestral accents. It’s fascinating, and along with “I Ain’t The One” it suggests this new LP will be a curveball — no surprise considering it was produced by Dave Fridmann, the noted sonic madman who also helmed half of They Want My Soul.
