Spoon

***With a history of stellar records, SPOON has topped themselves with Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, a thrilling album recorded throughout 2006 in Austin by the band and MIKE McCARTHY (except “The Underdog,” recorded in Los Angeles with JON BRION). Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga starts with “Don’t Make Me a Target,” a song that builds on Spoon’s familiar minimal rhythmic piano/guitar vamp popularized on earlier hits like “Small Stakes” or “The Way We Get By.” The album quickly moves into uncharted territory with the atmospheric “The Ghost of You Lingers” and moves through several different stylistic changes from the explosive (no pun intended) “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” to the wall-of-sound horns of radio single “The Underdog.” The BRITT DANlEL originals on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga comprise his most heartfelt batch of songs since 2001’s Girls Can Tell. Ten songs strong. LP includes a coupon for a free MP3 of the album and bonus material.