Sparks / Hello Young Lovers
| Album: | Hello Young Lovers | Collection: | General | |
| Artist: | Sparks | Added: | Jun 2006 | |
| Label: | In the Red Records | |||
A-File Activity
| Add Date: | 2006-07-02 | Pull Date: | 2006-09-03 |
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| Week Ending: | Sep 3 | Aug 27 | Aug 20 | Aug 13 | Aug 6 | Jul 30 | Jul 23 | Jul 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airplays: | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Recent Airplay
| 1. | Apr 21, 2022: | Down in the Basement
Here Kitty |
4. | Jan 20, 2022: | Down in The Basement (rebroadcast from Jan 6, 2022)
Dick Around |
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| 2. | Jan 30, 2022: | Down in The Basement (rebroadcast from Jan 27, 2022)
Here Kitty |
5. | Jan 06, 2022: | Down in The Basement
Dick Around |
|
| 3. | Jan 27, 2022: | Down in The Basement
Here Kitty |
6. | May 16, 2008: | Sparks: 36 Years, 20 Albums, No Recognition
Here Kitty, Dick Around, (Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country, Perfume |
Album Review
Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2006-07-30
Reviewed 2006-07-30
Operatic, theatrical pop music -- lots of orchestral synths and massively overdubbed vocals for a big, grand sound. Songs do tend to be highly repetitious, which can be alluringly hypnotic (e.g., #3 works for me, even though it shouldn't). Contains traces of what I'd call a classical minimalist influence (intros to 4 and 10). Definitely a "different" sound but I've squeezed it into indie-pop and even jazz sets. Give it a shot!
Sparks is a 35-year-old underground pop band that's had a few hits in Europe but is unknown in the States. They had one blip of U.S. success circa 1982-3 as a synth-pop act, but mostly they've played either glam rock (1971-78) or dance/disco (1986-1995).
This stuff is neither -- it's a new sound that started with their previous album ("Li'l Beethoven," not in our library).
***1- A kick-ass, operatic tour de force in the tradition of Bohemian Rhapsody. Lots of phases in 7 minutes, with fast choir-like vocals, dense lyrics, and some jazzy bits.... but the highlight is when the GUITAR kicks in (Dean Menta, ex of Faith No More) for some crushing, albeit simple, hard-rock moments. Lyrics are even serious, about a yuppie exec who descends into apathy when his girlfriend dumps him. A song that must be heard.
**2- Poppy single, a catchy minor-key blip listing names of women and perfume.
4- National Anthem lyrics and a chorus of : "Can I Invade Your Country?" (Meaning? You decide.) Upbeat.
6- Speak-singing about how "chicks dig metaphors." A bit of a hard-edged, jaded sound
7- Ultra sugary poppy song, with cynical lyrics about a cold-hearted bastard. Kicks into faster mode at the end.
*8- Doo-wop singing and some jazzy blue-note turns. About a fireman who rescues stranded kitties, and one day is called to save a tiger
9- Melodramatic, theatrical. Unsure what it's about but the title is funny
*10- The Experimental One. Opens with a John Adams kind of minimalist pulse -- fast repeating patter. Then a weird chromatic-scale riff that'll be the centerpiece of the rest of the song. Lots of "Hallelujahs," but it's not a religious song -- it's about the Notre Dame organ player picking up women in the congregation.
Sparks is a 35-year-old underground pop band that's had a few hits in Europe but is unknown in the States. They had one blip of U.S. success circa 1982-3 as a synth-pop act, but mostly they've played either glam rock (1971-78) or dance/disco (1986-1995).
This stuff is neither -- it's a new sound that started with their previous album ("Li'l Beethoven," not in our library).
***1- A kick-ass, operatic tour de force in the tradition of Bohemian Rhapsody. Lots of phases in 7 minutes, with fast choir-like vocals, dense lyrics, and some jazzy bits.... but the highlight is when the GUITAR kicks in (Dean Menta, ex of Faith No More) for some crushing, albeit simple, hard-rock moments. Lyrics are even serious, about a yuppie exec who descends into apathy when his girlfriend dumps him. A song that must be heard.
**2- Poppy single, a catchy minor-key blip listing names of women and perfume.
4- National Anthem lyrics and a chorus of : "Can I Invade Your Country?" (Meaning? You decide.) Upbeat.
6- Speak-singing about how "chicks dig metaphors." A bit of a hard-edged, jaded sound
7- Ultra sugary poppy song, with cynical lyrics about a cold-hearted bastard. Kicks into faster mode at the end.
*8- Doo-wop singing and some jazzy blue-note turns. About a fireman who rescues stranded kitties, and one day is called to save a tiger
9- Melodramatic, theatrical. Unsure what it's about but the title is funny
*10- The Experimental One. Opens with a John Adams kind of minimalist pulse -- fast repeating patter. Then a weird chromatic-scale riff that'll be the centerpiece of the rest of the song. Lots of "Hallelujahs," but it's not a religious song -- it's about the Notre Dame organ player picking up women in the congregation.
Track Listing