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Sunday, September 10, 2017

Sparks - "Hippopotamus" 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, 2017 (BMG)


Sparks equal perfection.   I can never fully understand how someone can write beautiful melodies and equally write words to these songs that fit perfectly, yet are jarring in their meaning and juxtaposition of the melody and lyric.  It's supernatural forces at work, yet, I do know them, and what they do is meet every day, except maybe on Sunday's, to work on their writing/recordings.   A lot of people do that, yet they come up with crap.  Sparks come up with works of genius.

"Hippopotamus" is a collection of songs, for whatever reason, I find moving. There's the humor, but it has a foundation in everyday life, and it reflects on the follies and disappointments that come with the world that we live in.  Russell Mael's singing/voice is the perfect instrument to Ron's words.  It is not only Russell's vocal abilities (which are great) but the knack to get into characters, and not come off as sounding cold, or smart-alecky.  There is a lot of soul in these set of songs by Sparks. 

The title song "Hippopotamus" is like a John Ashbery (or some other New York School of Poet) set to music.  Although nothing alike, the spirit is very modern with the ability to explore the potential of language.  Reading the lyrics to all the songs on this album is interesting because you can see the craft that is put into the works, and it doesn't lack passion, but the appreciation of the songwriting craft.   Bowie always struck me as a songwriter that is schooled in a craft, and that they are not only artists but incredible craftsman in their work.   Sparks is like a master shoemaker.  They know how to take your foot and measure it correctly to make one the perfect pair of shoes.  This whole album fits perfectly into my consciousness.  

My favorite cuts on this album are not the obvious great hits here, and there is plenty of that - but songs like "A Little Bit Fun" is a beautiful meditation on joy, fun, and love.  Its sentiment is simple, but with the minimal melody, psychedelic underneath texture, and Russell's tonality, it's a masterpiece.  I have a top ten Sparks fave list that keeps changing, but this song is on that list for sure, and not only that, I played this song six times in a row today!  "Life With The Macbeths" is another sonic beauty of a song.  A perfect closing to this album.    A humorous lyric, but the music is pure deadly.   Haunted melody; kind of perfect to play around 3 in the morning, and playing it loud.  

The single from this album should be a huge hit.  "Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me)" is a mood piece yet entirely in the pop format.  I wonder if a song with such feeling/wit, can ever truly be a hit. It's the album of the year, but even more important than those stupid ways of acknowledging an album's worth, this is a major work of art. 15 songs, not a weak link anywhere.   You can hang this album right next to "Mona Lisa."  - Tosh Berman

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