3.04.2008

Top Albums of 2007: #10. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga



#10. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Why Spoon isn't the biggest rock band in America is something of a mystery.

With 2005's Gimme Fiction, Spoon proved just how consistently well-oiled a rock n' roll machine they were. Over the course of four albums, Spoon has written some of the most definitive rock anthems of the American indie scene. Their previous albums' singles "Everything Hits at Once", "The Way We Get By", and "I Turn My Camera On" have proven mass appeal and staying power, and the band itself has become a staple at the SXSW festival.

Considering the mainstream acceptance the band has earned, there's no real reason for Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga to sound as fresh and invigorated as it does, but Brit Daniels appears to have plenty of gas for the next decade or so. Let's look at the big tracks of the album. The album's first single, the Jon Brion produced "The Underdog", was miles ahead of any of the band's past singles. The album's second single, "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb", was miles ahead of "The Underdog".

By now, in the twilight of the 00's indie scene, we've seen the rise and fall of dozens of fash-in-the-pan rock bands. The number of these bands that have proven any creative or commercial staying power is minuscule. But alongside acts like The New Pornographers, Animal Collective, and The Arcade Fire, Spoon appears to have cemented a steady place in the American rock canon; and if they're still producing material this good for the next ten years, we could see Spoon increase even further in cultural and artistic influence.

(download it here)

Nathaniel Tyson

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