Album Essentials: Spoon "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
Indie rock heroes Spoon, led by the duo of singer/guitarist Brit Daniel and drummer Jim Eno, had been steadily ascending the rails of success since the release of their debut album, 'Telephono' back in 1996. Jumping briefly to major label distribution, the band swam back into indie waters in 200, signing with Merge Records, a catch all, well respected label. for the next several years, the band's reputation grew and they had become a mainstay in the indie world. Their sound was a solid mix of familiar and new with albums like 'Kill The Moonlight' and 'Girls Can Tell' but it was their sixth LP that seemed to solidify them as a true force,
Released in the summer of 2007, 'Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga' was one of those records that seemd to jump forth from nowhere straight into the spotlight, something that even caught band leader Britt Daniel by surprise. "I don't know what happened," he said in an interview. "We were on Saturday Night Live and I had just moved to Portland. I was at the grocery store, they actually sold records at the grocery store, and I remember going to my grocery store and seeing that this ('Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga') was the number one record and it blew my mind."
Clean up on isle four aside, it meant that these guys had arrived and if not fully inside the mainstream, close enough to get a view. A lot of work went into the album. "We take a long time to record," Daniel recalled,' "only ten songs made it onto the album, over five months, that's two songs a month and after we'd been doing it for months, and I could tell we still had months to go. At that point it feels like, Ive been doing it forever and I'm going to be doing it forever."
The album kicks off nicely with the dynamic 'Don't Make Me A Target,' probably one of the band's finest moments. It was, however, the first single from the album, 'The Underdog,' that sets things into motion. It is simply undeniable with its ultra-catchy hook and dynamic horn section adding to the layers of sound. It was an alt radio hit and remains one of their best loved songs, sounding for a moment like the Libertines crashed into Herb Alpert. 'The Ghost of You Lingers' and 'Finer Feelings were other highlights, while the album's second single, 'Don't You Evah' was later re-issued as an entire ep, featuring seven different mixes of the song.
The album was produced by the band, along with Jon Brion, a guy with a great pop sensibility. With lyrics that ranger from personal, to social and from angry to uplifiting, the band seems to connect with its fans in both sonic and lyrical terrain. The band carry on still creating their own take on pop music, and for many, that first peak was this album.