Spoon

In May, Time, a magazine whose dedication to indie rock is on par with Cooking Light's commitment to covering geopolitics, devoted an entire feature to Spoon. The Time-ing was hard to figure, since the Austin-based combo had been around for eleven years by then and was an odds-on favorite to never earn a hit single, much less a life of leisure for singer/guitarist Britt Daniel, drummer Jim Eno and their assorted helpers. Even so, Time was on point when it noted that Gimme Fiction, released mid-spring by Merge Records, is among Spoon's most appealing discs: simple, smart, straightforward and catchy as hell. None of this was a shock to Spoon fans, since each of the group's albums could be described in much the same terms. Yet the acclaim was welcome, and probably explains why Spoon is on a bill that lists them below the Killers but ahead of the Fray and Mike Doughty. The subtlety and modesty of Daniel's work makes it unlikely that the act will ever headline sheds like these, but at least scribes outside the rock press are finally taking notice. With Time on board, can U.S. News & World Report be far behind?