Spoon always seemed to be on the verge of greatness. Each successive album from the indie-rock quartet since they formed in Austin, Texas, in 1994 has sold more than the one before. Critics, too, have been supportive — even in the '90s when they were the tiniest of blips on the radar.
Last year the group's sixth album, "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga," ended up on many Best of 2007 lists (No. 10 in Rolling Stone; No. 6 on Pitchforkmedia.com) and shifted a respectable number of units. If greatness hasn't been achieved, it at least seems to be within reach.
Having taken so long to arrive, success is not an accident. Frontman Britt Daniel is very conscientious about the band's direction and more musically circumspect than his peers. His songs are terse and efficient, austere in instrumentation and execution.