Review www. americana-uk. Com Nov 2008

Del Day

Rae Spoon “Superioryouareinferior” (Killbeat Music 2008)

Transgender, trans-genre Canadian road trip

Rae Spoon, Canadian born yet holed up in Germany for the last couple of years, isn’t your ordinary singer-songwriter. A transgender country singer obviously has its contradictions, and Spoon, a fragile if compelling storyteller has produced an album that skirts the Americana fringes but sits more comfortably in the ‘indie-folk’ world even if at times mutating to a more rootsy vibe. It’s a delicate, at times fiercely stoic journey along the back roads and byways of Canadian lore and tradition that reminds me of Sufjan Stevens on vallium. There are whales, lakes, wolves and bears. All reside in these very personal, reflective songs that are clearly as much as a personal emotional journey to Spoon as they are a literal trawl for us. “My Heart Is A Piece Of Garbage, Fight Seagulls. Fight,” is simple enough in design with heavily reverbered guitars propelling Spoon’s tale of self-inspection before reverberating in angst-ridden noise, whilst “I Can’t Wait To Hear The Noise,” essentially electro-pop in reality, offers up Spoon’s voice in all its fragile glory. “Superioryouareinferior” is one of those records you will keep going back to in a belief that there is something here that is both meaningful and important. It’s not always obvious, but delve deeper into Spoon’s cultural meanderings and you will discover a complex, enchanting performer whose songs carry hidden weight.