It's hard to tell from one phone interview if Spoon frontman Britt Daniel is a highly ethical person or not. He certainly seems to take a strong personal interest in the ideas of right and wrong. Generally, his voice is cool and rather indifferent, but I can detect a hint of bitterness when he addresses issues such as trust and betrayal,, faith and doubt, lies and sincerity—much like the lyrics on his band's most recent full-length, Girls Can Tell.
The reason for his arsenic-laced comments is not the critical reception of his album. Daniel sounds pleased to say that it's sold better—“four or five times better” in fact—than any Spoon record to date. In the past two months, however, the excitement has mellowed.