SPARKS - Exotic Creatures Of The Deep

An uncertain reticence and an uncontrollable, schizophrenic admiration have accompanied my interest in Sparks ever since their distant beginnings, and above all since the invaluable “Kimono My House”. Their musical path has always tickled my imagination: irreverent, at times populist, eccentrically chic, often out of step with the crowd, Sparks boast an original and atypical body of work.

“Exotic Creatures Of The Deep” follows a trio of excellent albums that put the American band back in the spotlight with both audiences and critics, also famous for Ron Mael's Hitler-esque look. The decadence of their sound found its cradle in Europe: amid echoes of Kinks and David Bowie, Sparks' music has always kept its own distinctive neurosis, rich in humour.

Never inclined toward self-celebration, yet great composers with a broad classical and rock heritage, the Mael brothers seem to have found their perfect sound with maturity.

The superb “Lil' Beethoven”, rich with clever classical touches, kept intact the decadent cabaret spirit of their music while projecting it into the future with unbeatable results. “Exotic Creatures Of The Deep” carries on along a path of music that blends glam, disco, operetta and cabaret, with the same grotesque, sparkling flair as ever. 

For those who haven't stopped following their evolution, this new chapter will show an even greater leaning toward pop, thanks to brilliant, catchy tracks like “Good Morning” (a new “This Town Ain't Big Enough”) and “Lightning Up Morrissey”, with their endearingly rock-flavoured edges; the classical-symphonic weave is softened by simpler songwriting, though the arrangements remain elaborate.

Between soft ballads ("I've Never Been High"), chamber-music fragments ("Let The Monkey Drive") and non-sense delights ("This Is The Renaissance”), Sparks deliver another important piece in their nearly forty-year career, with an enviable verve and freshness.

Far from the normalization undergone by other similar acts (why not, even Roxy Music), the Mael brothers once again prove capable of surprising us with unusual, brilliant pop. Tracks like “I Can't Believe That You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song” or “Likeable” celebrate kitsch like no band has ever managed or ever will, and “Exotic Creatures Of The Deep” is one of the best antidotes to the stupidity of so much pop music today.

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24/02/2009