With only 10 songs and a running time of less than 40 minutes, the real strength of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga lies in its balance of concise efficiency and just-right production.
Songs like the guitar/drum driven opener “Don’t Make Me a Target,” “Don’t You Evah,” and “Rhthm & Soul” would fit nicely into any of the earlier Spoon albums—-but it’s the extra production flourishes like flamenco guitar on “My Little Japanese Cigarette Case” that distinguish the album from the rest of Spoon’s already impressive catalog.
The album’s liner notes may declare that “this record is a hit,” but Spoon manages to use the songs as a jumping off point for sonic exploration instead of only focusing on slick production and catchy melodies. On “The Ghost of You Lingers,” the insistent piano and panning vocals create a mood for the anxious lyrics as much as they work to obscure them. Similarly, synthesizers and samples add interesting textures to “Finer Feelings” and give the song a sense of depth and variability. On Jon Brion-produced “The Underdog,” the addition of a horn section emphasizes the drive of the song and gives it an ultimately catchier and more timeless sound. While Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is an album that fits cleanly in with the rest of Spoon’s catalog, it also shows that the band has a well-developed sense of sound and production that enhances an already strong album.
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