Amazon.co.uk Review
How many bands can honestly say that their 20th album is possibly their best work? Against the norm (and as contradictory as always), Sparks' latest opus
Hello Young Lovers proves effortlessly that it can be done. Their previous outing (2002s
Lil' Beethoven) was a wondrous sonic adventure, impossible to pigeonhole, slightly marred only by its unfamiliar musical territory and lack of traditional Sparks sound.
Here, the balance is redressed enough to appeal to fans of the dramatic orchestral advances that album made, and those who prefer the sound of the band's early classics, be it "Beat The Clock", "Wonder Girl" or "This Town
". The familiar lyrical protagonists--part down-at heel everymen, part hysterical lunatic--are still in place, augmented by a fuller band sound and catchier hooks; multi-parted operatic sweeps, infinitely tracked Russell Mael vocals and abrupt stylistic changes furnish nearly every song, creating a catalogue of mutant pop songs that take overblown suite-like construction (think "Bohemian Rhapsody" on hard drugs) as their template and re-fit it for the 21st Century. This creates an album that sounds like nothing else you'll hear, and in tracks like "Dick Around" or "Waterproof", the best moments of Sparks' career so far. Beyond essential.--Thom Allott
CD Description
'Hello Young Lovers' is yet another dose of off-beat pop madness from one of the most talented and subversive bands of all time, Sparks. Ron & Russel Mael have delighted listenersfor years with their mixture of off-beat pop and cheeky lyrics, and this album is the perfect follow up the their 2002 album 'Lil Beethoven'. Includes the single 'Perfume'