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Amazon.co.uk Review
21 albums in (complete with a 21-night London residency playing every one of those albums), it seems that Sparks are defying the odds and delivering their finest works to date. As with previous albums Lil' Beethoven, and Hello Young Lovers, this is pop music, but it's fun, accessible, demented, clever and unlike anything else being made--everything good pop music should be. The narrative approach of the last two albums appears to have been ditched in favour of proper songs (relatively speaking), and a thankful return for Russell Mael's patent falsetto. Thus, "Good Morning" bursts forth, riding on a catchy synth-bass riff that Scissor Sisters would sell their wardrobes for, and "Let the Monkey Drive" builds up into a thrilling, disturbed crescendo. The layered harmonies and multi-part song structures are still in place, but toned down, which makes the material more accessible. And even the hilarious song titles such as "(She Got Me) Pregnant" and the indie-boy baiting of "Lighten Up Morrissey" belie the fact that underneath all the drama and clever lyrics, Ron and Russell Mael are making the best pop music in the world today. --Thom Allott
Review
One almost despairs at the thought of reviewing another great Sparks album. Twenty-one albums into one of the most idiosyncratic careers in pop/rock and the Mael brothers remain firmly on the periphery; such is the place to reside when you consistently and annoyingly demonstrate original thinking. The impossibility of pigeonholing the pair makes most people run for the hills. But the brave among us know for a fact that next to no one is making such criminally underrated and startlingly original music, in any genre, these days.
The last two albums, Lil' Beethoven and Hello Young Lovers, were filled with cod-operatic, Reichian repetitive odes to fickle humanity, love and vanity. Exotic Creatures is filled with yet more biting commentary. The title is presumably a reference to the characters dredged up in the songs therein. There's the guy whose girlfriend rejects him because he's not as deep as Morrissey (Lighten Up Morrissey); the amnesiac party animal who can't remember the identity of the girl next to him (Good Morning); the complete non-party animal (I Never Got High); or even the porn star at the center of The Director Never Yelled 'Cut'. And then there's the evisceration of modern manners. How about Photoshop - a tale of the ease with which we airbrush our past lives, or Let The Monkey Drive, which may or may not be about srvitude and decadence? There's even a song about the Rennaisance, called simply This Is The Renaissance. Dumb pop, this is not.
Stylistically it's slightly more varied than the previous two albums. The same staccato piano and electronica template with multi-tracked choirs of Russell holds sway, but there are also heavy guitars (courtesy of Dean Manta) and even a return to the barbershop and swing pastiches of the 70s glory years. Best of all there's the glitter stomp of the brilliantly-titled I Can't Believe You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song. But in the end words fail to do justice to the odball greatness of this band. Undoubtedly the live performances of this album will be the usual multimedia extravaganza: everyone is urged to attend. Such special, intelligent pop cannot bear indifference forever. --Chris Jones
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well, they've done it again. I liked Lil'Beethoven. I loved Hello Young Lovers. I suspect I will soon be adoring Exotic Creatures of the Deep. It's a progression again, continuing the sound that the Mael's have defined over the last couple of records. There's humour, there's wit. There's catchy melodies and cleverly constructed meters. There's also a thematic sound. I'm not saying it all sounds the same, but almost like a concept album it's all coming from one place. The top layer is Russell's multi-tracked harmonies, like a choir of exotic angels, swooping through the repeating and repetitive rhythms of the lyrics. Below that is the beautifully constructed piano lines of Ron, counterbalancing his brother's melody. Then there's the sparse boom boom of tom-toms and the strains of cello in the bass, and violins through the treble.
The production is just beautiful, with an open and precise sound.
As with the last couple the biggest influence on the Mael sound (other than themselves) is Philip Glass, though there is also a heavy dose of Lou Reed in the Sprechgesang delivery of some of the verses. And I can also hear very clearly the influence of Brian Wilson's "Smile", especially in "The Director never yelled 'CUT!'" .
All in all, it is very easy to fall in love with this CD and it is destined never to recieve the acclaim or audience it deserves.
One point I would make is that the Special Edition (with Ron and Monkey on the cover) that I bought is anything BUT special. It's just a cheap cardboard sleeve for the CD and book, so assuming the regular edition has an actual CD case, I'd go for that one. And it's cheaper.
The production is just beautiful, with an open and precise sound.
As with the last couple the biggest influence on the Mael sound (other than themselves) is Philip Glass, though there is also a heavy dose of Lou Reed in the Sprechgesang delivery of some of the verses. And I can also hear very clearly the influence of Brian Wilson's "Smile", especially in "The Director never yelled 'CUT!'" .
All in all, it is very easy to fall in love with this CD and it is destined never to recieve the acclaim or audience it deserves.
One point I would make is that the Special Edition (with Ron and Monkey on the cover) that I bought is anything BUT special. It's just a cheap cardboard sleeve for the CD and book, so assuming the regular edition has an actual CD case, I'd go for that one. And it's cheaper.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Another fine album from Sparks. Balls was good wasn't it, but the last three albums from Sparks have been amazing. Most bands this far into a career in music are either repeating themselves or have just gone wrong. Sparks just seem to get stronger and stronger and this album shows the Mael fountain is still pure and gushing. "I Can't Believe That You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song", should be released as a single and it should be a number one song in 192 countries. I urge you to buy this album and all Sparks albums because you will be helping to make the world a more fascinating place. A place of beauty and joy and happiness. :-)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Sparks was one of the few bands in which I allowed catalog gaps in collecting their material. I had the debut album up through 1977's Introducing Sparks, passed on the two Disco albums, returned for the New Wave of 1981's Whomp That Sucker up to 1984's Pulling Rabbits Out Of A Hat. After that, Sparks returned to their dance music with the forgettable Music That You Can Dance To and Interior Design albums. When Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins was released, I was curious and ended up purchasing the album based on the hilarious song titled 'I Thought I Told You To Wait In The Car'. Unfortunately, I found the whole album faceless and dull modern dance music, and I hated it and disposed of it.
Because of my horror at the sound of Gratuitous Sax, realizing that Sparks was still stuck in their dance music rut, I gave up on them and had no interest in anything else they released. But then Exotic Creatures of the Deep was released. I looked over the track listing, and when I saw the song titled 'Lighten Up, Morrissey', I thought it would be worth a listen. What I didn't expect was the song would return Sparks back to a rock based sound. Guitars had returned, and the drumming wasn't all dancey. I found it highly catchy and it prompted me to sample the rest of the album.
Wow! I couldn't believe how good these songs sounded in the available 30 second bits I had access to. I promptly bought the album and was blown away. Here was the Sparks that I love. Not only does Ron Mael have an endless well of dememnted and zany lyrical ideas, but the music was much more attractive and melodic with all of the quirk that made Sparks so wonderful when I first began to explore their music. Exotic Creatures of the Deep immediately reminded me of the experimentation of 1975's Indiscreet. There were the straight forward songs like 'Good Morning' and 'Lighten Up, Morrissey', but there were brilliant experimental songs such as the quirky hooks of 'She Got Me Pregnant' and 'This Is The Renaissance'. There was even an excellent harder rock song titled 'Strange Animal'. I was very impressed, not only with return of the classic and definitive Sparks sound, but to hear how amazing Russell can still sing after all of these years. This album can easily sit comfortably along side of the classic Island years. I'm definitely open to any future musical offerings from Sparks, but if they move back into dance music, they might lose me again.
That being said, after all of these years of being a Sparks fan, I decided to buy No. 1 In Heaven and Terminal Jive. Being that they were from 1979/1980, I felt there had to be something that I would enjoy, if I could overlook the typical then-popular Disco sound. Having an open mind helps because I found that I enjoy 4 of the 6 Heaven songs, and even managed to pull 3 or 4 from Jive. I still cannot stomach the sound of Gratuitous Sax, though. But if Sparks can stay somewhere within this current sound, which is still a sound that is all their own, then I will remain interested in future releases.
Because of my horror at the sound of Gratuitous Sax, realizing that Sparks was still stuck in their dance music rut, I gave up on them and had no interest in anything else they released. But then Exotic Creatures of the Deep was released. I looked over the track listing, and when I saw the song titled 'Lighten Up, Morrissey', I thought it would be worth a listen. What I didn't expect was the song would return Sparks back to a rock based sound. Guitars had returned, and the drumming wasn't all dancey. I found it highly catchy and it prompted me to sample the rest of the album.
Wow! I couldn't believe how good these songs sounded in the available 30 second bits I had access to. I promptly bought the album and was blown away. Here was the Sparks that I love. Not only does Ron Mael have an endless well of dememnted and zany lyrical ideas, but the music was much more attractive and melodic with all of the quirk that made Sparks so wonderful when I first began to explore their music. Exotic Creatures of the Deep immediately reminded me of the experimentation of 1975's Indiscreet. There were the straight forward songs like 'Good Morning' and 'Lighten Up, Morrissey', but there were brilliant experimental songs such as the quirky hooks of 'She Got Me Pregnant' and 'This Is The Renaissance'. There was even an excellent harder rock song titled 'Strange Animal'. I was very impressed, not only with return of the classic and definitive Sparks sound, but to hear how amazing Russell can still sing after all of these years. This album can easily sit comfortably along side of the classic Island years. I'm definitely open to any future musical offerings from Sparks, but if they move back into dance music, they might lose me again.
That being said, after all of these years of being a Sparks fan, I decided to buy No. 1 In Heaven and Terminal Jive. Being that they were from 1979/1980, I felt there had to be something that I would enjoy, if I could overlook the typical then-popular Disco sound. Having an open mind helps because I found that I enjoy 4 of the 6 Heaven songs, and even managed to pull 3 or 4 from Jive. I still cannot stomach the sound of Gratuitous Sax, though. But if Sparks can stay somewhere within this current sound, which is still a sound that is all their own, then I will remain interested in future releases.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Frustrating but still great! (An unsyncopathic review)
Since their art rock 'masterpiece' 'Lil' Beethoven' in 2002, Sparks have slipped slightly. This and their previous album 'Hello Young Lovers' has seen the brothers mix art rock... Read more
Published 15 months ago by K. J. Greenland
Brilliant!
I am embarrassed to admit that 'Exotic creatures of the deep' is my first Sparks album. I have known about sparks all my life, but i had no idea
how fantastic they are as... Read more
how fantastic they are as... Read more
Published on 5 April 2010 by J. A. Purches
Ron and Russ do it again.
Right, let me place my cards on the table. In my opinion, World governments should channel a billion dollars into research to keep the Mael brothers alive forever. Read more
Published on 18 April 2009 by JUDE
Great, but...
I love Sparks. My girlfriend can't stand them, but I think they're amazing, and this is another great album by the Mael brothers. But... Read more
Published on 9 Feb 2009 by Peter Lee
Special Edition?
Not a special edition?? What about the 2 excellent hidden tracks "If we repeat these lyrics enough people will think they are profound (when really they are not)" and "I can't... Read more
Published on 30 July 2008 by Derek Tierney
A slight step downwards, but still very good
When I say a step down, I mean in comparison to the last two, staggeringly good, albums, the quality of which shouldn't be possible for a band this far into their careers. Read more
Published on 28 July 2008 by A viewer
MAGNUM OPUS
38 years ago I heard this amazing band for the 1st time. I thought they were 20 years ahead of their time then & now, with the release of this album, their Magnum Opus, they have... Read more
Published on 15 July 2008 by The Mantra
Shooting Sparks
Just after "Kimono My House" was released, when interviewed by the British Music Press, Ron Mael hoped to "Produce a classic song every 6 months". Read more
Published on 2 July 2008 by Ace Music Lover
Quality from start to finish
How do Sparks do it? After twice as many years in the music world as some of today's 'stars' have had in their lifetimes they are still producing songs with great music and droll,... Read more
Published on 2 July 2008 by Enoch Sneed
Always surprising, consistently brilliant, never boring
Well, they've done it again, another truly excellent album!
The first single I ever bought was "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" when it first came out and... Read more
The first single I ever bought was "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" when it first came out and... Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2008 by Fred Bear
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