Spoon - "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" & "The Ghost of You Lingers"

Indie favs Spoon will return with their sixth album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga on July 10th. This record will come a little over two years after their excellent and popular Gimme Fiction. Bits of the upcoming album began appearing this week, followed shortly by a full-blown leak. "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" is exactly the kind of upbeat indie pop tune that we have come to expect from these guys. Further, this song serves as a reminder that Spoon always seems to deliver each time out. Straightforward and catchy, the tune is anchored by Rob Pope's pulsating bass line and features well-used synthetic saxophone snorts. Drummer Jim Eno solidifies the groove and Britt Daniel employs his falsetto in the right places. A couple of days ago, the band "leaked" the second song from the album, "The Ghost of You Lingers". This track is a somewhat befuddling choice for an introduction to the album and with choppy electric piano pounds and Daniel's reverb-drenched vocals, it sounds different than anything we've yet to hear from these guys. As the track's name suggests, the tune has a haunting, would-be eerie (for Spoon anyway) tone. It's a bit of a change to hear a Spoon track without drums, bass, or guitar, but the track begins to seep under your skin after a couple of listens.

While I've only listened to Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga one time in its entirety so far, it appears to be less of a "rock" album than was Gimme Fiction. The new album is more groove-orientated and less guitar-driven than its immediate predecessor. Opener "Don't Make Me a Target" sounds closer to their 2005 album than anything else here, although "The Underdog" sounds similar to "I Summon You". From my cursory listen, it appears this album is not as initially catchy as Gimme Fiction and has a number of tunes that will likely be growers that take a few listens to totally click. I'm sure the indie world will be abuzz with talk about this album in the coming months, over which time I plan to give it a multitude of listens.

Stream:


MP3:Spoon - "The Ghost of You Lingers"

Pre-order the album here.