For whatever reason I’ve never really liked Spoon all that much. Actually, (truth be told) I’ve never really listened to them much, but only because I’ve never felt compelled to. Just like the rest of the world did, I loved the propulsive beat and disco-falsetto of “I Turn My Camera On,” but (again) never investigated much further into the world of the crafty and arty Spoon. It just felt like indie rock’s version of a one-hit wonder. Throughout the summer (though) I’d heard mumblings about the new Spoon record Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and just how great it was and decided that if any time was right to give the band a listen, now was that time.
From the word “go” (or “ga” in this case) everything on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga feels familiar; almost as if the indie rock’s untouchable hipster universe was infected with the virus of classic rock guitar riffs and the Motown soul grooves I remember from the radio airwaves of my youth. It sounds almost nostalgic without being the least bit recycled yet also glossed over with a modern sheen like a sepia-toned Photoshop plug-in that recreates the details down to the scratches and faded edges.
Most of all, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is a rock record anchored in place by smashing piano keys and some of the most solid lock-step drumming I’ve heard in awhile. Save for Britt Daniel’s disaffected drawl much of the actual music sounds remarkably like vintage post-London Calling Clash melded with the spry pop of (perhaps) Billy Joel. It is a formula that the band uses consistently for the entirety of the album with the exception of the second (and slightly off-putting) track “The Ghost Of You Lingers.”
On my first listen to the album, I was caught off guard by “The Ghost Of You Lingers” and its unusual placement as the second track. It is a drum-less track driven by dissonant banging piano and floating atmospheric vocals that just sounds out of place between the two rock-oriented tracks that sandwich it. Or maybe that is the point. Perhaps all us critics just need to shut our mouths and turn off our computers and just listen to the music. Because (ultimately) that is what it’s all about. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is a stellar album that will have me digging into Spoon’s back catalog for sure.
MP3 | Spoon – Don’t Make Me A Target Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga MP3 | Spoon – You Got Yr Cherry Bomb Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Related posts:
I was just writing this album this week, too. I actually really love “The Ghost of You Lingers,” precisely because it is so much more odd than the rest of the album. They’ve hinted at this direction before–on the opening track to “Kill the Moonlight.” That’s the album to get, if you feel you need more Spoon.
Ohh yea, kill the moonliht is an amazing Spoon album to get, but I also advise that you pick up their first LP Telephono. That album really makes me love the band.