Spoon
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
***1/2
Defunct teen soap The O.C. was known as much for its unexpected soundtracks as its “Marissaaaa!” battle cries. So when indie-pop poster boy Seth Cohen popularized Spoon’s anthem “The Way We Get By,” the Austin-based trio was permanently planted in cool kids’ consciousness.
Spoon’s sixth studio album is also their most exploratory (think John Mellencamp let loose in an orchestra hold, going to town on everything from egg shakers to kotos), yet it never sounds chaotic or jumbled. In fact, this experiment is their cleanest to date, a reflection of sound pioneers Frente!, Morphine and Bowie.
The title Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is apt—quintets of beats span the album from start to finish and linger on the tongue long afterward. The first three tracks set the mood: “Don’t Make Me a Target” is a crisp parade of percussion; “The Ghost of You Lingers” is otherworldly and penetrating; “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” touches everything from Zoot Suits to Motown; and the standout “Black Like Me” is a neo-ballad for the post-emo broken heart. The O.C. may have been cancelled, but Spoon will keep all of our inner Seth Cohens rockin’.