New Spoon entertaining, uninspiring
By AUBREY CLARK
STAFF WRITER
ARCs229@psu.EDu
Spoon is a band that hails from
Austin, Texas, where many
big name indie bands seem to
originate. Since 1993, Spoon
has graced the music scene
with 7 solid albums that never
cease to please the band's fan
base. Transference, Spoon's
latest record that was released
last week, is an album that
cannot possibly disappoint any
"Spoonhead," but may not sway
new listeners.
Transference certainly is not
a masterpiece by any means,
but Spoon's music has never
Comcast attempts to calm fears
BY JOELLE TESSLER
AP TECHNOLOGY WRITER
Comcast Corp. and NBC Universal
said the cable TV operator's plan
to take control of the NBC media
empire shouldn't raise significant
antitrust concerns because the
companies operate in separate and
highly competitive markets.
In a 136-page document filed
Thursday with the Federal
Communications Commission,
Comcast andNBC said the proposed
deal is a "vertical transaction" that
would not hurt competition in either
the media or the content distribution
business.
Instead, they said, the combined
company would be in a better
position to challenge rivals in
both markets including media
companies such as Time Warner
Inc., Viacom Inc. and Walt Disney
Co. and other subscription TV
providers, including satellite and
phone companies.
"Viewed from every angle, the
transaction is pro-competitve," the
filing said. "The programming and
distribution businesses are each
highly dynamic and competitive,
and becoming more so every day."
Comcast, the nation's largest cable
company, is seeking approval from
the Justice Department and the
FCC to acquire a 51 percent interest
in NBC Universal from General
Electric Co. The government
reviews are expected to take up to
a year.
The companies filed paperwork
had a specific feel. Their last
album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, was
more for the record books, with
gritty electric guitar grinds and
Dadaist influences in lyrics and
terminology. Thansference is
almost an afterthought to Ga
Ga Ga Ga Ga, not that there
is anything wrong with that. It
is just a slight disappointment
after an almost 4 year wait for
Spoon's new record. Spoon
is Spoon and that is why fans
appreciate them.
Listening to Transference, I
much enjoyed the first track
"Before Destruction" for its
rawness and the blatant, raspy
quality in singer Britt Daniel's
voice. The fourth song, "Who
Makes Your Money" has grown
on Monday with the Justice
Department, which will examine
the antitrust implications of the
deal, although that document has
not been made public. The FCC,
which must approve the transfer of
the NBC broadcast licenses, will
take a broader look at the public
interest ramifications. Congress has
also scheduled hearings for next
week.
The federal reviews are expected
to focus on the potential dangers of
allowing one company to own so
much popular media content and
such a large content distribution
operation.
Comcast has nearly 24 million
cable customers and nearly 16
million broadband subscribers. It
also owns some cable channels,
on me, with its super simple
sound with some equally simple
electronic verve thrown in it.
All of the "Oooh's and Ahh's"
kind of had me giggling because
they were so perfectly placed in
the track.
One of the best songs, in my
opinion, is the track following
"Who Makes Your Money"
called "Written in Reverse."
The song has a bit of a bluesy,
southern feel with a great
keyboard base. I really like the
line: "I've seen it in your eyes/
I've seen you blankly stare/And
I wanna show you how I love
you/ But there's nothing there". I
love songs about love that aren't
influenced on being in love. The
end of the second verse is really
including E! Entertainment and the
Golf Channel, and has a controlling
interest in the Philadelphia 76ers
and Flyers sports teams. Comcast's
Sports Net Philadelphia channel
carries Flyers, Phillies and 76ers
games.
NBC Universal owns the NBC and
Telemundo broadcast networks; 26
local TV stations; popular cable
channels such as CNBC, Bravo
and Oxygen; the Universal Pictures
movie studio and theme parks; and
a stake in Hulu, which distributes
TV programming online.
Satellite companies and other rivals
in the video business are particularly
concerned that the combined
company could drive up prices for
or even withhold popular
national and local programming,
what got me when Daniel's
sings ("We're gettin' you raw/
And it feels real good/ Although
only briefly /Like high school
poppers would.") I laughed out
loud, knowing exactly what he
meant.
The rest of Transference has
a good sound, but it started to
sound a little too much like Jet
for me. I got bored with "Out Go
the Lights" and "Got Nuflin."
Honestly, I got bored with the
second half of the album. If I
hadn't been a Spoon fan since
middle school and Transference
was my first Spoon encounter, I
probably would think the band
was nothing to write home
about. But knowing what they
have done since the mid-90's,
including NBC television
broadcasts and regional sports. And
small independent programmers
wony that Comcast cable systems
could stop carrying channels that
compete with its own, or relegate
rival channels to premium tiers with
fewer subscribers.
Regulators will also likely look at
fears that the company would have
too much power in local markets
where it would own both the NBC
affiliate and the dominant cable
system, and that Comcast would
begin charging for media content
online.
In their FCC filing, Comcast and
NBC said the combined company
would be able to provide more and
better local programming• They
promised an additional 1,000 hours
Spoon is definitely worth a
listen because Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
and their 2005 album, Gimme
Fiction, are both fantastic
records.
Spoon is always going to be a
band that flies under the radar,
yet continues to coast in the
glory of an underground type
band; a band with a decent
following that will never be
a Radiohead or, now, a Kings
of Leon (gag me). Spoon will
continue to tour small clubs and
make decent records, which I
think they are okay with. It's
really a shame that a group
that's been on the scene for so
long goes overlooked. But who
am I kidding? If they were huge,
I'd probably hate them anyway.
of local news and information
programming a year on the local
NBC stations that Comcast would
The companies also said the
combination would lead to a more
diverse range of programs. Unlike
many other media consolidations,
the companies added, Comcast's
proposed acquisition of NBC would
not reduce the number of media
outlets or voices.
The companies pledged an
additional 1,500 programming
choices for children and families
on Comcast's Video On Demand
service and said they would use
additional broadcast spectrum
made available from the switch to
digital signals to show an additional
hour of children's programming
each week and more Telemundo
programming.
Comcast and NBC also said the
combined company would be in a
better position to experiment with
new ways of delivering content to
consumers, including on the Internet
and on mobile devices.
The new company "will promote
the public interest by increasing
the quantity, quality, diversity and
local focus of video content and
accelerate the innovative 'anytime,
anywhere' future that Americans
want," the FCC filing said.
The filing also reiterated the
companies' promises to continue
fire, over-the-air broadcasts of the
NBC and Telemundo networks and
to add new two new "independently
owned and operated" channels to
Comcast's digital cable lineup each
year for three years.