To kick off the Top Ten Albums of 2007 Countdown (gotta shorten that name…) in style, let’s start with a seriously stylish and stylized band, Spoon, and their latest album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

Just so we’re all on the same page, my plan is to post my reviews of each of the 10 albums on my list in increments leading up to the end of the year, then, sometime around New Years, I’ll post the rankings of the albums, from 1 to 10…or 10 to 1, if that suits you better. In any case, let’s get this party started:

I downloaded a bootleg copy of this album. There, I said it.

Don’t worry, I paid for a copy when it came out. I’m not a heartless asshole. Indie musicians are skinny enough, I don’t want to deprive them of a well-earned meal. In fact, maybe the next time, instead of paying for an album, I’ll just send them some of that weight-gain powder.

I’ve been a fan of Spoon for years now. I have all of their albums and I have no problem cranking the stereo every time one of their songs comes up. The angular, minimalistic, jarring jams that these guys from Austin, Texas (now Portland, Oregon…YAY!!!) churn out are instantly, toe-tappingly catchy.

On this album, the band seems more loose. Long-time fans could see it coming after 2005’s Gimmie Fiction showed a band more willing to break out and expand their sound. Still, many of the tracks on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga were a very welcome surprise. From the 60’s-soul horn sections on “The Underdog” and “Got Yr Cherry Bomb” to the brooding pop of “Black Like Me” and the driving, urgent rock sound of “Finer Feelings,” you hear the sounds of a band, already 10+ years into their existence, unafraid to branch out and try new things. The funny part about these new directions, is that they seemed almost effortless, like the capacity to make songs like this was built into the groundwork of the band’s sound long before they were actually implemented. Spoon has a way of incorporating new sounds and ideas and making them uniquely Spoon-ish.

I love it when bands mix it up, as long as it doesn’t sound contrived, and this albums sounds anything but that. In the past, many of their songs sounded very claustrophobic and paranoid, just looking back to the albums Girls Can Tell and A Series of Sneaks will give you multiple examples of that.

I like this new Spoon. They seem to incorporate new sounds and styles into their already existing “Spoon-sound” without any hiccups. It’d be fun to say that lead singer/songwriter Britt Daniel’s move from Austin to Portland facilitated some of that change, but it’s there’s probably much more behind it. Although, a change of scenery couldn’t have hurt. The changes that they made to their music appear effortless even where they’re sweeping. The mood of this record ebbs and flows and, in a scant 30 minutes, takes you on a wonderful ride. You can listen to each track over and over and hear some new quirk or hook that makes you love it for an entirely new reason.

There’s energy in this record. A certain freewheeling feeling surrounds the production, even when the lyrics are more staid and reserved. It’s the kind of record where you can tell the band had fun making it and enjoys what they’re doing, even if they are deadly serious about their craft. Its’ the kind of record that you’d want to make if you were in a band, and that’s why it makes my list for the Top Ten Albums of 2007.

Spoon - The Underdog.mp3