Madder! by Sparks

Their Brilliant New EP

Sparks have been around for 53 years, and throughout that time, they haven’t let me down. Sometimes, I’m genuinely amazed by what they create. Their new four-song EP is entirely unexpected from the duo, especially after all these unstoppable years, opening new paths for them. Ron and Russell Mael’s music is sophisticated to a degree that is almost forgotten today. They always sound like Sparks, but that’s not a noun; that’s a verb, which leads them to new adventures, yet there is always a hint of sadness.

As I mentioned earlier, I see Sparks in the same vein of songwriting as Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Rogers and Hart, rather than in the realm of rock n’ roll. Although they use the sound, technique, and tools of a rock band, their scope is much broader. They have produced a film musical, “Annette,” and are currently working on a new musical directed by John Woo, along with a radio play titled “The Seduction of Igmar Bergman.” Still, to me, all their songs have a strong visual consistency and narrative quality. “Madder!”, following their last album “Mad!”, is a surprise release from Sparks. Although I suspect the four songs on this EP were recorded during the same sessions as “Mad!”, they have a different feel and sound. It’s a work that should stand alone, so this isn’t a marketing ploy but a genuine piece of art.

The EP brings back great memories of records I bought over the years. They weren’t very common in the United States (except in the 1950s), but in Europe, they were quite popular. Maybe a teenager’s budget is what fueled the four-song seven-inch single. From the UK, I have the brilliant jazz guitarist and songwriter Slim Galliard’s “The Vout Orenee Man,” and from France, Jet Harris’s (of the Shadows) “Besame Mucho.” These two recordings hold a great deal of significance for me, but the format itself is also important. Commercially, there’s something disposable about an EP, like it’s not a major statement like an album or even a seven-inch single, where people mainly focus on the A side for a hit song. An EP is another kind of statement. There’s something dandy about a four-song EP. “Madder!” by all means is a work of dandyism, even though it is on a 10” vinyl; there is something beautiful about the size of the record.

The classic theme of a Sparks’ song is the underdog. The singer can be the underdog, or sometimes it's another person who is the focus. The first track, “Porcupine,” is about a girl nobody seems to like, but the narrator has a fondness for her and admires her for the uniqueness she brings to the world. There is something childlike about the melody, but the way the song ties all the parts into a consistent whole is what Sparks does best. The songs “Fantasize” and “Mess Up” are essentially profiles of failure, where the characters don’t have a clue how to find happiness or a sense of belonging in a social world.

The last song, “They,” is perhaps the most beautiful and mysterious song by Sparks. To quote the Ron Mael lyrics: They/Came to see you Shimmy for them/All right/And They/Came to see you Hully Gully. The mysterious “They” can be presumed to be the audience, but what we have here are “they” (the plural form) witnessing a series of dances being performed, such as the Cha Cha, the Hitchhike, and the Texas Two-Step, among others. There is a sense of disappointment because they felt so let down. The melody of this song and the majestic arrangement are almost on an operatic level in their intensity. Ron and Russell Mael know how to magnify small moments into something bigger than themselves, and that is one of their strengths in holding the listener's attention. A music group has never confronted me in this manner. Even after 50-something years, they can bring a song with such Brecht-like approaches, yet it remains full of feelings.

Since the 21st century, there has been a Steve Reich influence on their music, but it has evolved into a Sparks aesthetic, never a copy. This is an EP that is truly extended play, because I have played it at least five times in a row already.

And here is my review/commentary on Sparks’ MAD!