Sparks – ‘Mad!’ album review: Mael-isms fail to hit their usual heights
THE SKINNY: Does any band need to have released 26 albums? With the quality of Sparks’ latest, Mad!, and how far the band have slipped from the electric, exciting energy of their greatest hits with their latest release, it feels like maybe the answer is starting to show up as ‘no’.
For the most devout fans of Sparks, this album won’t be quite as abrasive, especially for those who have remained locked into their long discography. But, inevitably, time has changed things. And, for once, Russell Mael’s leading vocals lack a slickness that coated them early on, making tracks like ‘When Do I Get To Sing My Way’ feel rich and smooth. Instead, they feel clunky, rough and, in moments, just straight up bad.
It’s not helped by the lyrics here. While the band have always been celebrated for their wit and weirdness, the moments of humour and the interesting approach to emotions, this time around they fail to have the same societal bite, and are often played out as simple rhymes. There’s no real midground between total cliché, where you can nearly guess, word for word, what the next line will be, and then completely oddball moments that are more jarring than fun.
The instrumentals save the day. Its saving grace is that Mad! is an incredibly dynamic album with a lot of different landscapes and textures. The album opener kicks down the door with a strong introduction that will no doubt make an incredible strong set opener at their eternally entertaining live shows. Throughout, there is an experimental ferocity mixed with their trademark ear for a hook.
On the flipside, ‘In Daylight’ becomes a standout for the exact opposite reason; it’s simple and sparse and ethereal. There is a lot at play, from thumping electro moments and outright indie to more experimental theatrical moments. But at best, it serves as a distraction from the centre of the record and the fact that the band seem to have momentarily ‘lost it’, as brutal as that sounds, and are throwing things at the wall trying to see what ‘it’ is now.
This is an album full of Mael-isms, so really, if you like that, then you’ll like it. But they’re Mael-isms weakened by time, lacking the bite and thrill of the band at their very best, as cruel as that feels to point out when it comes to Sparks.
For fans of: Sparks. And unwavering loyalty.
A concluding comment from my housemate: ‘Whose Dad’s band is this?’
Mad! Track by track
Release Date: May 23rd | Producer: Russell Mael and Ronald Mael | Label: Transgressive
‘Do Things My Own Way’: After a stabbing, hooking introduction, the second the lyrics and vocals come in, the song loses speed, stumbling on the cliche of the titular lyric. [2/5]
‘JanSport Backpack’: Childish and odd, there is some charm here, but once again, the album’s lyrics let it down. “Why do you keep watching away? Oh, why do you treat me this way?” The band clearly got a rhyming dictionary. [1/5]
‘Hit Me, Baby’: Better than the ones before, but still not enough. There is nothing interesting here, nothing all that theatrical or fun. It’s just okay. [2/5]
‘Running Up The Tab At The Hotel For The Fab’: The development of the instrumental here is good, hooking into the same kind of strange, sleazey seduction of something like Pulp’s ‘This Is Hardcore’ but again, it’s let down by the lyrics that seem to try to be funny but just aren’t. [2/5]
‘My Devotion’: A complete switch of tone and pace is more than welcome, but as becomes a theme here, the second the vocals and lyrics come in, it falls apart as Russell Mael sounds, and I hate to say it, bad. [1.5/5]
‘Don’t Dog It’: Mael leaning into a more theatrical talk-singing style here helps, thank god. [2/5]
‘In Daylight’: This track feels somewhat like an interlude; it’s peaceful and calm, genuinely quite beautiful. [3/5]
‘Rules’: And they ruined it. Mael’s voice just can’t pull this off anymore as it’s lost its ability to pull off whimsy without sounding unironically poor. [1/5]
‘A Long Red Light’: A pattern emerges that the album is at its best when they go all in on experimentation, rather than trying to make a good song that descends into cringeworthy. [2/5]
‘Drowned In A Sea Of Tears’: If Sparks weren’t Sparks, a song like this would be posted on one of those Instagram meme pages that make fun of bad bands. [1.5/5]
‘A Little Bit Of Light Banter’: I keep being fooled by intriguing introductions leading to songs that make you want to skip them. [1.5/5]
‘Lord Have Mercy’: I’m so glad this is over and I can be free of Mael’s voice. [1.5/5]
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