The Hour Review October 2008

The Hour
Ocotber 2, 2008

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Rae Spoon
By: John Sekerka

There’s no denying the power of the single, and Rae Spoon has crafted a perfect gem. A real mouthful, along with the album title, Come on Forest Fire Burn the Disco Down has a refrain the masses will be giddily singing in the long winter months to come. Just a few basic guitar chords, an easy beat and an innocuous vocal, but as with all great pop moments, the song has an indescribable magic quality that instantly sets it apart from the pack. As with all Spoon compositions, Come On begs repeated plays, with volume tweaked higher up for each listen. It is the knock-out punch in the opening 1-2-3 salvo of an album that sways back and forth between sneaky, fragile ballads and snappy campfire sing-alongs. Spoon has an endearing, innocent quality not unlike Cat Power, a definite Canadian flair, and the envious ability to craft irresistible hooks. The album of the year so far.