Finding Jon Brion: Day 1 (or Meet the Big Hit of Summer '07)

I’m thinking this week is going to be devoted to one of the more prominent yet hard to pin down figures of the indie rock world. If you’ve spent any time reading up on what’s new and exciting in music, the name Jon Brion will inevitably pop up—most music geeks have something of a reverence for the man and his musical skill. At the same time, there is technically only one album by Brion ever recorded, and its near impossible to track down to boot.

So what makes the man so damn impressive? Put simply, it’s the places where he shows up in the margins of great music… and believe me, there are many. From film soundtracks to bootleg Fiona Apple albums to Grammy winning rap, Brion has left his mark in a big way, and he stands to only become more influential over time.

The latest recipients of the Brion treatment

To start things off this week, I’d like to draw your attention to the latest piece of Brion’s handiwork that’s making waves on the web. Though the strangely titled “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” by Austin-based rockers Spoon won’t be out for another month still and features only one track produced by Brion, its that very song that has leaked and is already being touted as a potential summer hit and indie crossover—basically, the “Crazy” of 2007, though hopefully with fewer covers being done. Anyhow, “The Underdog” has all the markings of a Brion song—a bouncing guitar line accentuated by killer horns, handclaps, and undeniably catchy riffs that linger for days, all of which works great with the hipper-than-thou pop vocals of lead singer Britt Daniel. It’s a fantastic song that serves as a perfect introduction to why Jon Brion is the best musician you’ve never heard of but probably already love.

Spoon—The Underdog (from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, due out 7/10/07).