Britt Daniel says the Austin band’s tenth album is influenced by a love of rock-and-roll and a deep dive into the music of ZZ Top.
Texas Standard | By By Leah Scarpelli, David Brown & Shelly Brisbin
Originally published February 15, 2022 11:18 am
When Britt Daniel moved back to Texas full-time in 2019, he was focused on having fun. So he got to work with his Spoon bandmates on a new record. Spoon’s tenth album, “Lucifer on the Sofa” turned out to be a longer-than-expected project, but that happened for a very good reason. Daniel just kept writing songs, and having a good time doing it.
“We thought we were done,” Daniel said. “And I had nothing else to do, so I ended up writing a lot of songs. Songwriting was the thing that kind of made me feel the most normal.”
Daniel says he also spent a lot of time listening to music, including the entire catalog of that little ol’ band from Texas, ZZ Top. It shows on the album, especially in songs like “The Hardest Cut.”
“We started with some chords. Alex [Fischel] brought in chords and I suggested a beat that was similar to ‘Run, Run, Run’ by The Who,” Daniel said. “And after we had those two things going together, I came up with that riff.”
For awhile, the song was just called “Texas Riff.” Daniel says it sounds like a Texas driving song. And it’s not the only one on the album that would sound good coming through a car’s speakers while rolling down the highway.
Spoon’s idea for “Lucifer on the Sofa” was to make a rock record – less experimental or produced than past albums.
“We wanted it to be a rock-and-roll record first and foremost, and to sound a little more natural, and figure out the songs ahead of time, as a band. Go into a room, play them,” Daniel said.
It seems to have worked. Critics have praised the record’s accessibility and its sense of fun.
Daniel is happy with the album and with his return to Austin.
“It’s a town where it really is all about live music. And that makes me feel good – to go see live music often.”
