Recommended Album of the Moment: Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Grade: 83.4%
Official Score: 83.4%

What The Others Think:

Pitchfork Score: 8.5
Tiny Mix Tapes Score:
Coke Machine Glow Score:




From the time Spoon first charmed the pants off of me with Girls Can Tell, I've been hooked. I could never go out on a limb and claim Spoon to be one of the best bands ever, but I don't think its unreasonable, especially at this point, to declare them the most consistent. At this point I'm convinced that Spoon could try their hand at Gansta Rap and still sound better than most bands out there.

Speaking of consistency, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is probably Spoon's most consistent album since Girls. I've always likened Spoon to Modest Mouse in how they're both great bands with great songs, but most of their albums tend to slide a bit towards the end. Not so with Ga x 5, "Finer Feelings", and "Black Like Me" are currently my two favorite songs. And like Modest Mouse in 2004, Spoon might have just released their breakthrough album. There are a few songs that could wind up being legitimate hits, notably "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" or the current single, "The Underdog".

Perhaps the reason why I find this album to be their most consistent is because there's something for everyone here. There are the poppy songs I mentioned previously. "The Ghost Of You Lingers" is a spacey, stripped down song that would have fit nicely on Kill the Moonlight if it weren't so perfectly placed on this album. "Don't Make Me a Target" could have opened Gimme Fiction, and "Rhythm and Soul" sounds like the Spoon I first fell in love with on Girls. This isn't to say Spoon isn't trying anything new here, on the contrary, when you hear the horns or the flamenco guitar solo your ears will perk up too. But this is, first and foremost, a Spoon album, which means you're gonna get some sexy rock 'n roll, sweaty soul, and some delicious pop, the kind that is both sweet and refreshing. As for me, I think I just found my newest Summer album.