Soft Effects EP (1997)

“Two of the songs on ‘Soft Effects’ fade out, “I Could See the Dude” fades in and then stops abruptly in the middle of a drone of “Loss Leaders,” takes a full minute to die. These techniques aren’t mind-blowing or exclusive, but for Spoon, they signified a cozying up to the mystery that they’ve made so integral to their last few records. “I Could See the Dude” is still one of the band’s greatest recordings. The recursive arpeggio of the guitar is oceanic. The rhythms stiffen, guitars tremolo in cheap stop-motion, and everything under them drops out—a great ellipses, an untranslatable Morse stutter. In that stutter, and in the coolly romantic peaks of “Get Out the State” or the echo handclap section of “Waiting for the Kid to Come Out,” you can see Spoon’s face form. As the itchy moment before sophomore year dance: a sly smile spread across their lips, half-innocent, half-worrying, then and now, intriguing as hell.” (Stylus Magazines)