With an almost undetectable ease Spoon have established a home for themselves amongst the elite of American Indie Rock. They formed in 1994 by singer/guitarist Britt Daniel and drummer Jim Eno in Austin, Texas. Since that time they have delivered 5 albums of sublime Indie rock, walking a fine line between catchy melodic pop and left field dynamics. ‘Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga’ their sixth, has done for them what ‘Good News’ did for Modest Mouse, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard charts and turning the previously under exposed Spoon into bonafide ‘rock stars.’
Spoon’s strength is their minimalism, that’s not to say that they lack intricacy, they don’t, it’s their ability to manipulate their well worn path that keeps them fresh. It’s remarkably concise, not a superfluous note to obscure the clear simplicity. They successfully traverse the line of diligence and creativity.
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga’s first single ‘The Underdog’ perhaps best highlights my point. The pure indie pop genius that Spoon has been serving for over a decade now is augmented with mexican horns during the songs rollicking chorus. Change enough to keep it new but still unmistakably Spoon.
‘You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb’ is almost Motown, more horns are joined by tambourines and chugging beat. 'Finer Feelings' is perhaps the CDs strongest track, its classic Spoon. Pop hooks others wait a lifetime to create are there in abandon. Towards the tracks completion the introduction of samples offers an interesting and uncharacteristic twist. ‘The Ghost of You Lingers’ is a haunting track driven by a jackhammer piano beat.
Lyrically the album is Britt Daniel’s most direct work. A tangible sense of anger and frustration invade many of the narratives. The albums opener ‘Don’t make a Target’ a rallying cry against GW Bush’s foreign policy:
“Keep on marching along
Beating his drum”
“Thugs and stick and bats and balls
For nuclear dicks with dialect drawls”
‘My Little Japanese Cigarette Case’ sonic dynamism, much in the vein of the Pixies, is a perfect accompaniment to the cocaine inspired lyric.
“It's just my Japanese cigarette case,
Bring a mirror to my face
Let all my memories be gone”
‘Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga’ is another in a long line of great Spoon records. Daniel’s and co keep experimenting with the studio process enough to keep recording new and interesting soundscapes to co habit with their Indie pop sensibilities. It’s rewarding to see the efforts being enjoyed by the wider public.
MP3's from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga available for DIRECT download :
Finer Feelings
The Underdog
Also a great video of The Underdog live on Letterman :
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