Transference
by Spoon

Transference by Spoon
Year: 2010
Release date: 2010-01-15
Overall rank: 3,330th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 237 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 2010 (53rd)
Award Top albums of of the 2010s (567th)
Award Best albums of all time (3,330th)

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Spoon bestography

Transference is ranked 8th best out of 14 albums by Spoon on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Spoon is They Want My Soul which is ranked number 685 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 2,506.

Spoon album bestography « Higher ranked (3,067th)
Girls Can Tell
This album (3,330th)
Transference
Lower ranked (7,262nd) »
A Series Of Sneaks

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Transference rankings

Transference rankings summary
Overall rank: 3,330th | 2010s rank: 567th | 2010 rank: 53rd  Overall chart history
(Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). (Last updated: 6 hours ago).

Transference collection

Transference ratings

Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 237 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 237 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
70/100
 !
07/04/2026 01:14 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  15,32870/100
 
80/100
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05/09/2026 22:20 luukvdschepop  Ratings distribution  73875/100
 
30/100
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02/16/2026 23:49 CrazyDiamond84  Ratings distribution  9862/100
 
80/100
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12/07/2025 20:30 Araldo  Ratings distribution  1,47280/100
 
70/100
 !
11/12/2025 16:50 adbrack1988  Ratings distribution  1,10183/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 6% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 75.8/100, a mean average of 74.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 75.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.5.


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Transference favourites

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Transference comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 19 comments |
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Rating:  
80/100
I've downloaded a collection of Spoon's best songs and have listened to them for about 8 months. I've recently started to dive into their full albums. Transference may not be the catchiest, nor most raucous, collection of songs, but it's probably the most consistent. Most of the songs I gave a 75, 80, or 85. Only Trouble Comes Running blew me away with how tight the overall tune is, but most of the songs I either enjoyed the songwriting or enjoyed the grooves.
This album has the very unfortunate position of existing between arguably Spoon's two best albums, so it's easily tossed to the side, but there are some good things here. First off, the more lo-fi sound is consistent across the album. The guitars are more fuzzy and the bass stands out a ton. Nothing too flashy, just a very consistent album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 02/18/2019 01:58 | #232125
nothing special.
more or lesss boring alternative rock as heard 1000 times before.
just OK.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 03/18/2018 22:40 | #211240
When I first heard this album, I thought it was pretty bad compared to the rest of Spoon's other albums. Through time, though, this album sure grew on me and I can finally grasp it for the true album it is; a really great and consistent album, with no really shining song, but all songs fit well into the album, and form a cohesive unit that is Transference. Another great album by one of the most consistent bands ever.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
I was under the impression that "Transference" was the dud of Spoon's 21st century output, and was compelled to skip it, but I'm so glad I didn't because it genuinely is an impressive record.

Although Spoon may have ditched the multi-layered atmosphere that really takes most of their other albums to the next level, this works in Transference's favour since it forms a more direct statement, where the skilful lyrics and the vocal delivery are highlighted more.

Sparse and gloomy, but also strong and cohesive, this is a very good piece of work that has proved itself to be underrated, despite its commercial success.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 11/18/2016 01:04 | #178619
So disappointing for Spoon. Every song is either barely good or completely forgettable.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 04/28/2016 17:32 | #164795
Underrated in the Spoon catalogue. I rank it 3rd best Spoon behind Ga Ga Ga and Gimme Fiction.

Mystery Zone, I Saw The Light, Written in Reverse and Out Go The Lights are standout tracks.

A little uneven with sub-par tracks like Trouble Comes Running. It also closes out with a whimper with Got Nuffin and Nobody Gets Me Like You

This band overall should be appreciated more for their quality and longevity
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 10/28/2014 01:53 | #125589
Nice sound, but nothing stands out like it does on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. I support Spoon, but not this album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
So they dropped their horns and their poppy delivery and returned to their early complicated indie rock mess. While not instantly-catchy like "ga ga ga ga ga", this album is still about as good as the others in their arsenal.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
This is one of those albums that I really enjoy when I'm listening to it, but often tend to forget about when I'm not going out of my way to listen to it. If that makes any sense. That being said, the production effort is pretty quality throughout the entire album and it keeps me guessing enough so that it's never too boring. My favorite part of the album is the outro on I Saw the Light. That outro might be the best I've moment I've heard from Spoon.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 10/22/2011 18:40 | #28856
I can not remember what this sounds like but I have Who Makes Your Money rated 2/10 and I saw the light rated 9/10! Not a lot of albums get songs rated like that. Will have to make another listen
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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