Rae Spoon

Emotionally dark disc not light on sound
Heath McCoy
Published: October 07, 2008

Rae Spoon

Superior You Are Inferior

Rating 5 out of five

One can make out shades of Sinead O’Connor in Rae Spoon’s powerful, emotive vocals. Or, perhaps he’s closer to Neko Case when his tone turns ghostly, like a haunting country siren.

There’s a touch of k.d. lang, too, in Spoon’s Alberta roots, complete with a deep connection to his prairie upbringing (and simultaneous alienation from it).

As for the former Calgarian’s considerable talent for poetic verse, affinity to the Canadian landscape and all, it certainly recalls Joni Mitchell.

Rather striking credentials, aren’t they?

These are chief among the ingredients that make Spoon’s latest disc Superior You Are Inferior a true thing of beauty.

Make no mistake, it’s a dark, depressing record — maybe at times a touch heavy-handed in its utter bleakness — and that could scare some folks away. Don’t let that be you, though, because ultimately Spoon’s songwriting is evocative and moving, with his aching, heartfelt tales of alienation and longing, pain and persecution.

As for the “he” references to a singer who so exudes feminine artistry? Well, Spoon is a transgendered individual who identifies himself as a male.

Now you can understand the alienation he’s felt, which comes into play all over Superior, most powerfully in Off The Grid, Underground, a harsh tale of “queers” forced to hide in an intolerant country town. The tune ends on a menacing note with the mean refrain: “Run, run, run, across the land/ This town will chase you with a gun in its hand.”

Meanwhile, Spoon seems both frightened and critical of his home province on the dark folk number My Heart Is A Piece of Garbage. Fight Seagull! Fight!, with its image of the Calgary Tower standing high, “like a giant fist that sticks up with all its might.”

The album is nearly as rich sonically as it is lyrically. Co-produced by Calgary’s Lorrie Matheson, whose magic touch in the studio becomes more apparent all the time, Superior offers a dark blend of earthy roots music and electronic sounds that’s both tasteful and compelling. This makes for an incredibly catchy bit of roots pop on Come On Forest Fire Burn The Disco Down, which deserves to be a hit.

For its stark honesty, vulnerability and its dark wellspring of emotion Superior You Are Inferior really is a stunning disc and it establishes Rae Spoon as one of the finest talents on the Canadian indie scene.
- Calgary Herald

October 1
by Amanda Ash

It’s been two years since Rae Spoon released a record but it’s been well worth the wait. Every minute the Calgary musician spent on SuperiorYouAreInferior seems to have translated into hours and hours of unmitigated passion packed into each hovering chord and wavering note. Spoon wandered away from his country music niche in order to dabble in a folkier electronic genre and ended up composing one of the most beautiful, priceless albums released this year. Lyrically, each song winds in and out of Canada’s landscape, history and culture. “Great Lakes” reminds us that all looming entities are also inferior to something greater. “My Heart Is A Piece Of Garbage. Fight Seagulls. Fight!” narrates some of Alberta’s weaker links, like useless trucks and an abundance of oil money. Then there’s the gem “Come On Forest Fire Burn The Disco Down,” which reminds us that colonialism is still with us today even though it’s a part of the past. Unfortunately, listening to SuperiorYouAreInferior will turn you into a nuisance — within no time, your friends are going to label you as “that person” who won’t shut up about “the amazing Rae Spoon record.” (Independent)
- Exclaim Magazine

October 2, 2008
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.
- The Hour

Monday Magazine October 16- 22, 2008 Review

Trading his country twang for a healthy dose of mature songwriting, Rae Spoon’s latest showcases a much different sound than his three previous albums. While there for definatly country elements on Superioryouareinferior they aren’t the driving voice here – Spoon’s haunting voice and touching cross country lyrics are. From the Opener “Great Lakes” to the quiet and simple “Strength From Within”, this is Spoon’s most solid and polished album yet. The sound of one of Canada’s hardest working musicians coming into his own is sweet indeed.

Amanda Farrell
- Monday Magazine

CHART attack review October 2008
Evan Dickson

4 out of 5

Canadian folk bands, be careful that your homespun references to local geography and Canadiana don’t come off as CBC pandering (like some of Kathleen Edwards’ yak-worthy yarns). Instead, let them grow naturally from the black soil of your twilight thoughts like Spoon. The sweet-voiced singer opens his album with an entire song about the Great Lakes without sounding like he’s shooting for points on Radio 3. When he invokes the land, it’s never as a button to press for applause at summer festivals, but, like the best folk music, it’s weaved into the central nervous system of his ideas. Now that I’ve used the word “folk” twice, let’s clarify something: this record is more than a nice voice and acoustic guitar for half an hour. Most of the instrumentation and subject matter are rooted in folk traditions, but Spoon isn’t above using drums, pop hooks and even electronic sounds to flesh out his poetry. The result is catchy, intimate, and inviting — as much for the mind and body as the heart and soul.
- CHART Attack

Oct 2

Rae Spoon
Superioryouareinferior (independent)
By Jordan Bimm

Rae Spoon’s well-crafted songs come from an extraordinary place.

Now based in Calgary, the transgendered country folksinger completed tours of Europe, Australia and the U.S. before recording Superioryouareinferior (his fourth full-length) with co-producer and fellow singer/songwriter Lorrie Matheson.
Spoon demonstrates maturity not just in his patient, textured songwriting but also in the solid production and thoughtful lyrics (especially on If You Lose Your Horses). Fans of bittersweet folk-punk should definitely check out Come On Forest Fire Burn The Disco Down, a standout track that manages to yearn, brood and rock all at the same time. Morrissey would be proud.
- Now Magazine

superioryouareinferior

Indie-Folk

Sun Rating: 4 out of 5

If you buy just one CD today by a transgender singer-songwriter from Calgary, well, it would likely have to be this one. Unless it’s one of Spoon’s other three CDs. But we suggest starting here — this showcases Spoon’s bittersweet vocals and starkly elegant Canadian-gothic songcraft, while updating his rootsy base with electronics, strings and pop hooks. Final verdict: Superior. - The Toronto Sun Ottawa Sun London Free Press The Winnipeg Sun The Calgary Sun The Edmonton Sun