Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Spoon

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 10, 2007)
• Original Release Date: July 10, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B000RGSOQO
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,045 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Something happened to Spoon between records five and six--they got big. It's not as if these unprepossessing Texans were unpopular before, but after Gimme Fiction, their music was everywhere. There was Britt Daniel, who has since moved to Oregon, singing karaoke on cult favorite Veronica Mars, there was his soundtrack for deadpan Will Ferrell vehicle Stranger Than Fiction, and then there were the countless times their tunes, especially 2002's "The Way We Get By," appeared in other movies and TV shows. The irony is that they hadn't signed to a major label (they tried that in the 1990s; it didn't take). Nor had they given their sound a major overhaul. Maybe it was a change of publicist, or maybe the times had simply caught up with these "faux punks/gentlemen dudes." In any case, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is the mark of men confident enough to give their album one of the world's goofiest titles (at least it's an improvement over Queen's "Radio Ga Ga"). If Gimme Fiction was a transitional work, record number six moves even further away from the angularity of Wire and other early influences. "The Ghost of You Lingers," for instance, is downright dreamy, while "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" is brass-bedecked power-pop (with chimes!). Open-minded listeners will surely find this Beatlesque song cycle irresistible. Fans of the Spoon's darker, more dramatic material might want to check their expectations at the door. They'll be glad they did. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description
This record starts with "Don't Make Me A Target", a song that builds on Spoon's familiar minimal rhythmic piano/guitar vamp popularized on earlier hits like "Small Stakes" or "The Way We Get By". The album quickly moves into uncharted territory with the atmospheric "The Ghost Of You Lingers" and moves through several different stylistic changes from the explosive "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" to the wall-of-sound horns of radio single "The Underdog". Their most heartfelt batch of songs since 2001's "Girls Can Tell".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a bit more mainstream than usual but still great..., August 24, 2007

By	Simone Oltolina (Morbio Inferiore, TI Switzerland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Life might be full of disappointments but, quite on the contrary, through the years Spoon have proved a reliable source of enjoyment for me.

You might ask: what separates this band from thousands of other samey so-called indie bands? Lo-fi sound & look? checked. Praise from Pitchfork? Checked. Casual name-dropping by other indie acts/scenesters? Checked. Still, despite all evidence of the contrary, Spoon really manage to be one of a kind.
What makes them stand apart is what I used to call their trademark "coitus interruptus" sound, meaning infectious hooks that never really takes off and turn into a full-fledged chorus, remaining instead a hint, a tease to the ear.
This was especially apparent on one of their previous LPs, "Kill the moonlight", also a favourite of mine (not to say, the album through which I convinced most of my friends that this was truly a great band).
Beware, it is true that this album makes a few concessions to the classic song structure, thus slightly deviating from the aforementioned c.t. sound but, in the end, it's still there. Melodies that all sudden swerve to a different direction, riffs that instead of exploding into the boombastic apex you'd expext, implode or morph into something else.

I love this band and I think that this album will easily prove to be one of my favourite of the year (along with Blitzen Trapper's 'Wild Mountain Nation', for those interested).

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Again, They Don't Disappoint, July 10, 2007

By	ATeacherFromFlorida (Tallahassee, FL) - See all my reviews

(Ga X 5)offers a logical progression in Spoon's already impressive discography. If critics level any criticism at this new album, most likely it will involve damning Spoon's consistency because there aren't any geniune surprises on this album. Well, so what? I consider their ability to put out one satisfying album after another surprise enough. They've found their niche---oblique, angular, and aurally textured pop-rock---and I think they're wise to stick to it.

(Ga X 5) successfully offers a hybrid of the sounds from the last few albums (Kill the Moonlight and Gimme Fiction) and as usual you can detect the often-noted influences ranging from the Kinks to Wire to, yes, Van Morrison (give "The Underdog" a spin to hear the VM influence.) Granted, the disc is short, clocking in at just over 30 minutes, but this is also in a way a sign of the band's restraint. They know what they do well, and here they're at the zenith of their powers. Even the odder, more difficult and cubist tracks in the record's middle dintinguish themselves as worthy slow-burners after repeated listens.

In short, definitely one of their best discs. You won't be disappointed. I hope they continue making discs like this for many years to come.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rock & Awe, July 9, 2007

By	A. Corvey "acorvey" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With the release of "Gimme Fiction" in 2005, I was convinced Spoon had made their masterpiece. It was the perfect combination of previously established elements: the sketch-like song structure and wild experimentation of 2002's "Kill the Moonlight" coupled with the flat-out cathartic pop of 2001's "Girls Can Tell." The songs (penned by vocalist/guitarist Britt Daniel) were simple and direct, yet imbued with an intensity of emotion not often found in modern music (or at least not as genuinely). The record was Daniel's shining moment as a songwriter; his definitive musical statement, one I thought he'd struggle to re-create throughout the rest of his sure to be long career. I never dreamt in a million years that he'd somehow surpass it. Especially on the follow-up album.

"Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" is that culmination, a record of monumental emotional depth that also manages to genuinely rock. While listening to tracks like the Jon Brion produced "The Underdog," it's apparent that Spoon is yet again breaking new ground, opening up their sound and exploring new territory while still adhering to the tried and true "Spoon" philosophy: simple and direct song-writing that packs an emotional punch. If you're tired of the vacuous music populating today's airwaves then give "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" a spin. You won't be disappointed.