Friday, September 17, 2004
Sparks - Kimono My House
"What an odd title!" you're thinking. That's OK; it's quite an odd album. From quite an odd group, too. Sparks, largely a vehicle for the extraordinary talents of brothers Ron and Russell Mael (Russell with the hair, Ron with the moustache), have been making bizarrely inexplicable music for over thirty years now. Not that you'd notice; I was quite surprised when I found 1974 was the release date for this album. It seems so much more recent.
Although it does have roots in the glam rock era (some of the more jaunty numbers are strangely reminiscent of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel gone mad), the sound of Sparks is firmly their own. You will never have heard anything quite like the opening track (and lead single from the album), "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us" - once describedly quite rightly as a singularly singular single. A wailing keyboard line, alternately subtle-then-pounding drums, tight guitar lines and, above all, Russell's voice.
A voice that deserves a new paragraph. It swoops and dives between barks and croons. It's probably what gives early Sparks their unique sound. Although, over an entire album, it can begin to tire. These songs are so unique that the uniqueness can seem samey. Get under the skin and into the lyrics, though, and the distinctness returns. The album shows its LP roots, with a first side of staunchly separate pop songs, and second featuring more smoothly-flowing, melodic tracks. A useful trick; you'd get tired if the pace of the first half was continued all the way through.
Sparks have made a variety of albums over the years, covering glam, disco, pop and, most recently with Li'l Beethoven, symphonic dance music. Some work; some don't. This is definitely one of their best, and a good place to start if you're looking for something rather different.
Although it does have roots in the glam rock era (some of the more jaunty numbers are strangely reminiscent of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel gone mad), the sound of Sparks is firmly their own. You will never have heard anything quite like the opening track (and lead single from the album), "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us" - once describedly quite rightly as a singularly singular single. A wailing keyboard line, alternately subtle-then-pounding drums, tight guitar lines and, above all, Russell's voice.
A voice that deserves a new paragraph. It swoops and dives between barks and croons. It's probably what gives early Sparks their unique sound. Although, over an entire album, it can begin to tire. These songs are so unique that the uniqueness can seem samey. Get under the skin and into the lyrics, though, and the distinctness returns. The album shows its LP roots, with a first side of staunchly separate pop songs, and second featuring more smoothly-flowing, melodic tracks. A useful trick; you'd get tired if the pace of the first half was continued all the way through.
Sparks have made a variety of albums over the years, covering glam, disco, pop and, most recently with Li'l Beethoven, symphonic dance music. Some work; some don't. This is definitely one of their best, and a good place to start if you're looking for something rather different.
# posted by Sam : 19:36
