MAD! [CD]

2024/2025, Transgressive
Formaat: CD
Ilmumiskuupäev: 23.05.2025
Ribakood: 5063176063328

Tarneaeg: Ettetellimisel

18,99 €

Püsikliendile 18,04 €

Kogus:

Lisainfo

Sparks, brothers Ron and Russell Mael, are back with their 28th album "MAD!", their first on Transgressive Records!

Most bands would have been treading water in their seventh decade of life, only playing their old hits at the traditional venues and releasing the occasional greatest-hits collection. That's not the case with Sparks. They have made a triumphant return, proving their resilience and relevance in a modern world with a new album.

Ron Mael is one of our most astute observers of social mores. In any other discipline - playwright, cartoonist, novelist, cineaste, chronicler - he would be a Moliere, a Hogarth, a Fitzgerald, an Altman, a Swift. He just happens to work with the medium of popular song. His brother Russell Mael has the talent to convey these observations in a unique way, he is a captivating frontman and has a countertenor voice of exceptional range. The alchemy between Ron on keys and Russell on vocals - Two Hands, One Mouth, to quote the name of one of their tours - is simply what they do. And they've rarely done it better than on "MAD!".

On "MAD!" Ron and Russell examine cultural phenomena like trademark backpacks, tattoos, performative devotion (be it to a god, a lover, a celebrity or a sports team), the prevalence of banter and the rise of influencers. The satire is never taken to extremes, but always leaves enough ambiguity for the listener to fill in the blanks. And the highly unusual choice of words (you won't hear the word "epistemology" on many other albums this year) and cultural references jump out at you with every listen.

Musically, there are echoes of new wave, synthpop, art rock and electronic opera - all genres that Sparks has had a hand in or even invented. When you hear echoes of other artists, from Air to Shostakovich, you're reminded that these are all people Sparks has influenced. (Well, maybe not Shostakovich.)

Ultimately, though, "MAD!" is a modern record that belongs in the modern world and speaks to it. The album opens with the song "Do Things My Own Way", a piece of typically forward-thinking progressive pop that was also the album's lead single. But it also functions as a kind of manifesto for the Maels themselves. Because Sparks are a band that have always done things their own way.

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Plaat 1
1. Do Things My Own Way
2. JanSport Backpack
3. Hit Me, Baby
4. Running Up A Tab At The Hotel For The Fab
5. My Devotion
6. Don’t Dog It
7. In Daylight
8. I-405 Rules
9. A Long Red Light
10. Drowned In A Sea Of Tears
11. A Little Bit Of Light Banter
12. Lord Have Mercy