Spoon: 'Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga'

Spoon have always left a well guarded musical space around their songs, as though to draw our attention to the unfussy structural core. So many musicians, fearful perhaps of a lack of beauty, adorn their output with excess, frills which only serve to raise suspicion. This new ten-track record has all the tight togetherness of their back catalogue but also expands into broader textures.

'You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb' has a pulsing horn section and small decorative inputs from the triangle. 'The Underdog' is similarly puffed out. Both tracks are delightful forays into new musical territory, the latter sounding positively vivacious, bursting at the seams with carnival-esque trumpeteering. In addition, this album has a diversion into a more rhythmic middle section between tracks four and six. 'Don’t You Evah' chases its own bass loop in ever expanding circles, the lyrics coming in rounds that begin to look like some kind of semantic strange loop. It is good fun but may also lack longevity. Its follower is 'Rhythm And Soul', which is a wry take on Ska, genuinely funky but more modern, reflective and bearing the influence of Spoon’s 21st century brand of world-music-influenced rock. Finally 'Eddie’s Ragga' explores that distinct London sound born of new approaches to blending grime and hiphop with indie.

The sound of an understated but extremely sardonic group is still alive and well though. Opener 'Don’t Make Me A Target' is classic Spoon, crisp cool rock that must make Babyshambles wonder how some people make it look so easy. 'Finer Feelings' and 'My Little Japanese Cigarette Case' are clipped guitar led numbers that broach no nonsense but seem rich nonetheless. There is no influence here that is not masterfully contained by the capacity of this group to write good songs and, for all the echoes of other genres, one is left with the experience of having listened to an album that could have been created by no one else. Satisfying.

Released 9th July 2007 by Anti.

Written by Huw Green.