Premature Evaluation: Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Everyone has an opinion on Spoon’s black 'n' blue-eyed soul these days. Us? The Austin crew's sixth record is way more likable than its title: While its song structures aren't as minimal as Kill The Moonlight (Spoon's take on anti-pop, GBV-style ambience and fragmentation), Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga's tighter than Gimme Fiction -- the earlier record's 11 songs in 44 minutes to Ga's 10 songs in 36 and change -- more emotionally engaged, and less likely to produce a song for a car commercial.
We predict the collection, a bona fide grower, will be tagged Spoon's bout with studio tinkering, but we dig the extra creaks and crackles, Wilco squiggling, studio chatter, and even the guitar-as-whale sounds (really). Our favorite moment of this sorta thing's the plug/unplug feedback beside the jaunty guitars of "Don't Make Me A Target" and its Peanuts-meets-"That's The Way We Get By" bounce. Or maybe the insistent chopsticks on spooked, distorto-tastic anti-waltz "The Ghost Of You Lingers." No need to fret, rockers, Britt serves plenty of straight-up hooks: "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" mixes echo trails with its swaggering happy-core handclaps and "The Underdog"'s "Sister Jack" bounce evokes the Walkmen's sunny "Louisiana" with its beachfront horns (and, why not … more handclaps).
Of course, we have some complaints; Ga's tight, not flawless. "Don't You Evah" doesn’t seem worth the energy or the silly spelling (true it's a cover of an unreleased Natural History track or is Wikipedia fucking with us again?) and "Eddie's Raga" builds and builds, then limps and limps. But, back to this thing growing: Initially tedious, "My Little Japanese Cigarette Case" opened/bloomed after half a dozen listens (though regarding that flamenco guitar -- maybe an unnecessary trip to the equipment store?).
All said, two out of 10 ain't bad.
It's always wise to begin and end strong and Spoon bows with one of our favorites, the tension-cutting ballad "Black Like Me" (no, nothing racy—seems "street tar in summer will do a job on your soul"). The three-minute outro's a sweet parlor trick, something Blake Swarzenbach might've used to end one of his late-period records (only different). In the waning seconds, Daniel makes a little request: "All the weird kids up front / tell me what you know you want." So, weird kids, is this what you wanted?
Ga⁵ is out 7/10 on Merge.
Posted at 7:00 PM in Premature Evaluation
Tags: Spoon
Damn good record.
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Excellent record. There's a certain looseness to the songs yet they maintain their swagger. Excellent.
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My Little Japanese Cigarette Case is one of my favorite tracks from the album, also The Underdog and Feeling Fine. Great album.
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i disagree with this review. Gimme Fiction is a better record, as it's more thematically and musically unified. Ga is more of an assemblage of disparate--but still great--songs, ala KTM and GCT. Cigarette Case, Ragga, and Evah are all stellar tracks. Overall, it's an awesome record, but it's hard to beat the huge statement that was Gimme Fiction.
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I am loving this record. I love The Underdog as well. I think Gimme Fiction had a couple of more highlight songs but this one is tighter and more concise.
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i've still only listened to this one a couple of times...i can't stop playing that fucking Art Brut. Based on these initial listens, this album will prove to be a grower but doesn't seem quite as strong as Gimme Fiction. I agree with the reviewer that "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" is an incredible track...Merge should have "leaked" that tune instead of "The Ghost of You Lingers" to introduce the album.
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Number three and seven are the best songs. Still wish they would take some more risks with structure and arrangements but another solid Spoon release to be certain!
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definitely is a grower. but gimme fiction is far better. by the way: "gimme fiction" is one of the best albums of decade.
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Anybody hook a brotha up w/a preview link?
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Loving the new stuff. Can't wait for the album to be released.
On a related note, Britt popped up at the Bright Eyes show in New Orleans and played most of the encore with them. One of my friends claims they played a new Spoon song during it, but I was a bit too inebriated to notice. But the strange part was after the show when I saw people (and there weren't very many) trying to approach Britt to meet him, and venue staff wouldn't let anyone within a 5 feet radius of him. That was umm... weird. If it was his doing (which I hope not), then I lost my love for him a little bit.
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album of the year
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Wilco squiggling -- i was thinking about this today actually. most evident in "don't make me a target" and wilco's "side with the seeds". mash-up anyone?
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kill the moonlight was gbv-inspired? huh?
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How they remain so consistent blows me away with every release.
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Some of the songs have grown on me but this is a step backwards compared to Gimme Fiction. With Gimme, Britt was experimenting with genre-bending but with Ga it's more Girls Can Tell/Kill the Moonlight cut-by-numbers pop. Good, but they've done this before.
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I love it.
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Don't You Evah is the BEST SONG on the entire album, I am not sure why anyone would claim it doesn't have energy. It has a FEEL to it that just exudes out of the track. It's fantastic, great album too. Kill The Moonlight as a GBV inspired affair? No, I don't think so.
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Dan, you are absolutely spot on about "Don't You Evah." Quite simply, I can't stop listening to the track. If people want to talk about feel and swagger, they don't have to look any farther than that song.
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we used ryan pope's bass guitar once
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Great review, unlike other bands Spoon is pushing the boundries, a true sign of a great band....
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I don't know what Yale is talking about as far as pushing the boundaries goes... Spoon plays it pretty safe on this album, but it's a great album nonetheless and I think on par or better than Gimme Fiction.
Don't Make Me A Target is essentially The Beast and the Dragon Adored (same drum lead in and same guitar tempo), but this isn't a knock because they're both perfect openers.
Agree that Don't You Evah isn't worth the off-spelling, and neither is Rhthm & Soul- but both are still good tracks, just not on par with the rest of the album. Also agree that Eddie's Ragga seems like it's about to explode (great, great chorus build) and then it just peters out.
It might sound like I'm criticizing the album but when I'm listening to it I can't find anything wrong with it... only when comparing it to past Spoon album and debating flaws. Otherwise, on it's own, this one is a definite contender for Album of the Year.
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This record is certifiably off the chain. They manage to pack an impressive amount of ideas into an obscenely concise package.
Maybe not a departure, but it's a leap for sure, and I kind of worship the way the album concludes. Japanase Cigarette Case, Finer Feelings, and Black Like Me ("A Day in the Life" piano cords/crescendo, 70's drum tones) are difficult to top.
Agree with the "feel" of Don't You Eva.
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wow, sounds like a good album, does anyone know where i could possibly find it? I feel bad asking, but i really want to enjoy along side of you all.
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No
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I posted "The Underdog" and "Don't You Evah" on my blog, for anyone who doesn't have the album yet and wants to see what everyone here is talking about.
I've just recently got into these guys, so my Spoon knowledge is elementary - but I love this album, and especially these two tracks.
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Its a really good record.
My favorite tracks have to be
Rhthm & Soul
My Little Japanese Cigarette Case
Black Like Me
these songs stand out a lot. the whole album is pretty chill.
I think i have a few links left on my blog
http://whudahexup.com/
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It kicks ass
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sexy album. "Don't You Evah" is probably my fave track at the moment.
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OFF TOPIC:
The new Chemical Brothers´ "Do It Again video":
http://www.tecoapple.com/2007/05/20/the-chemical-brothers-do-it-again/
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It's good, and I'm sure it will grow on me, but nothing has that l'apel grabbing immediacy like "Everything Hits At Once", "The Fitted Shirt" or "Two Sides / Monsieur Valentine".
Nonetheless, it is a must-have and easily one of the best albums to come out in a stupendous release year.
DwD
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photos from Spoon's set at the University of Chicago last night are up on my blog if anyone cares (set list too!)
http://tirck.blogspot.com
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God, I love this album...
I'll up it in a lit'l while, mates!
www.xanga.com/noiseburrow
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lol, www.dompassantino.co.uk
he doesn't even listen to records now
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Stop kissing Brittish Daniel's ass! This band hasn't been the same since John Croslin stopped producing. This is sweater rock. When was the last time this band had any real emotion? Any screaming? Any feedback? I know all bands somehow believe they need to mature, but a good lot of us miss the Wayfarers and acoustic feedback...
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Techmambo is a site dedicated to obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies.In addition to this, we also profile existing companies that are working hard to make products/services more usable for the rest of us. Techmambo is edited by Gerald Shuma.
http://techmambo.blogspot.com/
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no blogging braff on snl? muy disappointing.
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I second matt hamm. Ga*5 is good, but it's no "Girls Can Tell," and it's certianly not enough to knock the new Art Brut off of "repeat" right now, so it'll have to wait awhile to get broken-in.
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By the end of the summer, Brooklyn kids will be ripping their shirts off and wagging their fingers at strangers while singing "Don't You Evah". Song fuckin' kills, brah!
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'You Got Yr Cherry Bomb' = Tune of the Year thus far
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So is it just me, or does "Don't You Evah" pretty much lift the bassline from Prince's "Erotic City"? Now that's a cover I'd like to hear outta Britt.
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First off - "Finer Feelings"! Best song on the album. Second, these album leaks are getting ridicules. I mean come on, this doesn't even come out till July and so many people have heard it. For shame ... y'all better buy it when it comes out!
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i will buy this the second it hits. on vinyl. record of the year easy. so far anyway. burn a copy for the car or better yet, put it on the headphones. every bit as good as fiction. spoon is far and away the best working band in america. take that, wilco!
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The new album is solid, and I'm a big fan of the band, but it seems to be their standard release these days -- as Sam said earlier, it's a good album but Spoon does seem to be playing it safe.
There doesn't really seem to be a big standout single at first glance, a la "The Way We Get By" or "I Turn My Camera On."
I like "Target" and "Evah" a lot, but the best song is probably "The Ghost of You Lingers," which seems very Radiohead-esque if a few beeps and whistles were added. Yale mentioned earlier that they are pushing boundaries, and with this track they do.
I kinda wish they would've gone that route more. I'd like to hear what a Kid A-ified Spoon album would sound like. I think they have the creative chops to pull out something really different than what they've been doing the past several years.
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Why does everyone expect a band to get electronic or bleepy bloopy to "advance" or "grow?"
To me that doesn't signal forward-thinking ideas but a lack of them when it comes to rock and roll and writing good songs.
What's wrong with consistent LPs of great songs?
It doesn't mean they're luddites. Screw Radiohead and Kid A.
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What I want to know is where's the Natural History? I'm still waiting for the follow-up to the very, very good Beat Beat Heartbeat.
Any indie hipsters out there want to give themselves a smug sense of self-satisfaction and provide an update?
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I like "The Underdog" the best out of the tracks I've heard. Although "Finer Feelings" is pretty f'ing sweet too.
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"Finer Feelings" is thus far my favorite. When the chorus picks up the vocal harmony, there's killer hookitude.
And I also plan on picking up the vinyl for this.
DwD
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Jonathan Fisk, don't you think that "The Ghost of You Lingers" feels a little out of place when there are no other songs like it on the disc?
I didn't say they needed to get electronic or bleepy in order to advance/grow -- just that they have different ideas (as evidenced by "Ghost...") that they don't expand upon.
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Joosse, re: The Natural History...
They broke up, I think. They were working on a follow-up album in 2004/05, supposedly to be entitled "People That I Meet," and they were shopping around looking for a new label when the drummer (I think?) quit.
Curiously, there is a video on Youtube entitled "People That I Meet," purportedly from the unreleased album of the same name.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOLxEI1cn4M
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you could try this encryption password for above
nodatta.blogspot.com
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http://www.zshare.net/download/sggggg-rar.html
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I had to read every comment & it's been so long now that I forgot what the pre-review said.....! Anyhow, In case the band is reading this: Amazing album from start to finish, just has to grow on you some before you truly appreciate the fun of this brilliant music. But I think that is what we mean by 'rewards repeated listens'. It also sounds better the louder you play it. Anything Wilco-ish or Clash-ish or Beatles-ish is still very Spoon-y & sounds like it was all just meant to be somewhere out in the musical universe & Spoon found the recipe & collected the ingredients & mixed it all up & voila another killer, classic album. Hope the wait for the NEXT album isn't so loooooooooong....
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the Underdog makes me all giddy n' stuff.
would be a solid single yes?
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britt daniel has beautiful lips.
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britt daniel has beautiful lips.
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"The Underdog" is the best. Which makes sense given who produced it. ;)
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what i find more disturbing then the album's hard-to-keep-track-of-how-many-GAs-I've-already-said title, is that its the third of their 6 releases to start with a "G" in a title. AAANND it makes 7 of the 16 words in their titles start with "G" (not counting articles and prepositions of course, only douches count articles and prepositions). this kindof texas-based pro-letter agenda makes me nervous.
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Don't know what you're on about in the second paragraph--they've been doing that studio tinkering stuff at least since "Series of Sneaks"
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