Tom Lynch

The Austin-born, beloved indie-rockers Spoon have, to put it simply, created a masterwork with its new record, the goofily titled "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga," out on Merge Records this past July. The follow-up to the impressive "Gimme Fiction," this band doesn’t sound like it’s on its sixth record—the bone-shaking palpable energy puts a spell on you. Then again, maybe it's the band’s confidence—one that would only come after making several creatively successful records—that makes "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" so damn stirring. Kicking off with the straight-ahead rocker "Don’t Make Me a Target," singer Britt Daniel immediately gets experimental on the second track, called "The Ghost of You Lingers" (the title’s telling), in which he piles on multiple vocal tracks over a staccato piano. Tracks like "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" and "The Underdog" show what Spoon does best—craft dangerously melodic pop songs, with Daniel’s hints of sarcasm, swagger and, in the end, hope. Two of the record’s best songs, "Finer Feelings" and "Black Like Me," are interestingly paired at the finale, when Daniel sings lines like "Sometimes I think that I’ll find a love/One that’s gonna change my heart" and "I’m in need of someone to take care of me tonight." The sentiments and delivery are disarming and perfect.

Spoon plays October 12 at the Riviera Theatre, 4746 North Racine, (773)275-6800, at 8pm. $22.50. (2007-10-09)

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