Looking back through the annals of their 37-year career it really is difficult to find anyone with a bad word to say about either of the Mael brothers. To gloss over the discography of Sparks is almost like charting the exact point where many lesser artists got their divine inspiration from to make music in the first place. If it wasn't for 1974's groundbreaking Kimono My House long-player it would probably be fair to say that the whole futurist/new romantic scene would have had nothing more to go on than the odd tired Mick Ronson riff. Likewise, people such as Talking Heads and, later on, The Scissor Sisters' dalliance with disco as an alternative to alternative rock music.
Creatures Of The Deep Pc Game
There's always one that has to be different, and that one happens to be me. Having been fascinated by Sparks from an early age – by Russell Mael's pitchshifting falsetto, or brother Ron's Hitler-esque moustache – they've always been one of the most idiosyncratic, genre-transcending and downright confusing acts since the hippie dream of the ‘60s ended. The one thing that has let them down is a distinct lack of quality control with their music. Mosin nagant history by serial number. Prepare the firing squad now, if you must, but to these ears Sparks haven't made a great album since 1979's Number One In Heaven, over a quarter of a century and twelve LPs ago.
Pardon me then for being sceptical about Exotic Creatures Of The Deep. Gone are the days when producers such as Tony Visconti and Giorgio Moroder were queuing up to work with them; everything's done in-house now, each of Exotic Creatures Of The Deep's 13 pieces having been written, recorded, tweaked a bit and then finally produced by the Mael brothers themselves. It's not their first attempt behind the desk – they've been messing around in the control box for years – but this is certainly the first record to bear the Sparks brand that doesn't feel like a pastiche what came before it.
Sparks' 21st album will be released on May 19th. Its title will be 'Exotic Creatures Of The Deep', which is even by Sparks standards, a rather unusual album title. There will be 13 tracks this time. A single off the album, 'Good Morning' will be released on May 12th.
- 'Exotic Creatures of the Deep' is best understood in the context of their last two albums 'Lil Beethoven', and 'Hello Young Lovers', being full of the same catchy repeated choruses and the startling trademark falsetto and spoken word delivery of Russell Mael, allied with some complex arrangements that bring out every nuance of brother Ron's lyrics.
- Dec 10, 2014 Music Reviews: Exotic Creatures of the Deep by Sparks released in 2008 via Lil' Beethoven. Produced by Ron Mael, Russell Mael.
After some so-so releases, this record's quite an exquisite statement of intent. It almost fits together like a film score to some Berlin cabaret-themed extravaganza that, between its evergreen waltzes and glitter-fuelled stomps, somehow manages to namecheck Morrissey ('Lighten Up, Morrissey') and Photoshop ('Photoshop') among its subject matters.
And that's what makes Exotic Creatures Of The Deep such an interesting and deceptively ambitious record. Not only is Russell Mael still capable of using camp innuendo to mock himself, as on album closer 'Likeable', but he's also not afraid to put those who owe him and his brother a debt of gratitude - however small - in the public spotlight.
Oddly enough, Exotic Creatures Of The Deep may open up a whole new fanbase for Sparks, as there are more than enough radio-friendly moments here to keep the programme schedulers happy day and night, which can only be good for the Maels' retirement fund. Everyone's a winner, then. Well, almost everyone.. Steven, your taxi is waiting outside.
- Dom Gourlay's Score
Biography
Sparks are one of the oldest bands in America. During almost forty years of their career, Sparks have released 21 albums and tried great number of different genres from disco to psychedelic. A lot of artists cited Sparks as a major influence, starting from Depeche Mode and Morrissey to numerous pop acts. The band consists of two brothers, Ron and Russell Mael. They grew up in California suburbs and were regular visitors of the clubs where such bands The Doors, Love, The Kinks and The Beach Boys played. This is no surprise that they were trying to emulate the sound of their English idols when they started to perform themselves. Sometimes brothers were even pretending that they came from England. Sparks' first eponymous album, released in 1971, sounded accordingly, as long as their second record A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing (1972). This album led to a tour across UK, and during it Sparks decided to stay in London.
Ron and Russell came to Britain during the glam rock era, and decided to change their genre to stay in mainstream. Their decision resulted into breakthrough album Kimono My House (1974) that reached fourth place in UK charts (in spite of the fact that legendary Elton John was sure it would be a failure). The following albums, Propaganda (1974) and Indiscreet (1975), were similarly successful, and Sparks became known for intricate pop tunes and convoluted lyrics. However, Ron and Russell were not satisfied with their achivments – they were aware that Sparks's sound was becoming stale. They decided to return to LA and changed to a more electronic sound. Maels recorded Big Beat (1976) and Introducing Sparks (1977), but both turned out to be a failure. Brothers decided that their albums lacked personality, and worked hard to change the situtation on their nex record No. 1 In Heaven (1979). As a result, the album became a landmark in the development of electronic music and greatly influenced bands which would emerge in the following years. Next disk Terminal Jive (1980) was also based on electronic sound. As one of its singles, When I'm With You, became very popular in France, and Sparks decided to stay there.
Sparks Exotic Creatures Of The Deep Rare
Soon Maels discovered that the electronic equipment they had adopted for their new sound was too cumbersome to tour with, so they turned to more traditional line-up and traditional rock music. In this genre Sparks recorded Whomp That Sucker (1981), Angst In My Pants (1982) and Sparks In Outer Space (1983). Next three records, Pulling Rabbits Out Of A Hat (1984), Music That You Can Dance To (1986) and Interior Design (1988) were also rock albums, although Music That You Can Dance To featured synthpop tunes too. At this time, Ron and Russell also tried themselves in filmmaking. They worked together with Tim Burton on making Japanese comic strip, Mai, The Psychic Girl, into a movie, but their project came to nothing. Sparks returned to music in 1994, releasing Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins. Maels switched their genre again, that time to techno dance. In 1998, Sparks released Plagiarism – an album of cover versions of their own songs, which featured collaborations with Faith No More and other bands. Sparks also recorded the soundtrack for the movie Knock Off, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme that year.
Next Sparks' record, Lil' Beethoven (2002), was described by Ron and Russell as «genre-defying opus». It was a mixture of rock music and classical arrangements. Hello Young Lovers (2006), the band's twentieth studio album, was based on the previous record, but also was a concept album which addresses aspects of modern love. It was followed by the Sparks' last to date record Exotic Creatures Of The Deep (2008). Celebrating its release, Sparks performed 21-night series of concersts in London, playing each of their albums in chronological order during the first twenty nights, and premiering new record during the last one. During one of their last interviews, Sparks' claimed that modern music is lacking ambition and experimental drive. However, they have expressed admiration for Eminem, Outkast, Franz Ferdinand, Belisha and Morrissey. The fans did not have to wait for Sparks' following creation for a long time: the rockers' new record titled The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman saw the light in 2009. It is not just an album; it is the real musical, which deals with themes of art and commerce, differences between Europe and America and many others. There is absolutely no doubt that The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman will be interesting not only for Sparks' fans, but also for all the connoisseurs of original music.
Studio Albums
Hello Young Lovers
Compilation albums
Lives
