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Monday, July 13, 2020

Sparks: "A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip" Double 45 rpm 12" Vinyl, 2020 (BMG))


Sparks is the portrait of Dorian Gray.  As they go on, their music never ages, yet I, as a listener, is clearly getting older.  Their bite is still energetic, and the melodies that they make seem effortless. "A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip" is a remarkable work, due that its excellence is forward-thinking but without tainting their past.  For me, Sparks's albums are just a chapter in a long (and so far endless) novel.  Ron Mael's lyrics are the most literate in pop; in a sense, one notices the craft that goes into his writing, and then beyond that format, which makes it art.  I never think of Sparks in the terminology of rock n' roll.  To me, their work belongs to the Great American Songbook tradition of songcraft and writing.  Each Sparks album is a multi-media presentation, but for the ears.  Sitting in front of my speakers, I can see the entire show taking place.  "Lawnmower" is one of those Mael's Raymond Queneau type of songs, where the words are playful as well as adding a catchy beat.  Russell Mael's voice takes character and is clearly one of the great vocalists of the last 40-something years. 

There are no 'weak' cuts on this album.  The songs flow from one to the other as if they all belong to the same and close family.   What I do hear that is new is a sax here and there, and some songs have a loud acoustic guitar driving the melody hard.  "A Study Drip, Drip, Drip" is an exceptional album in horrific times.  May Sparks bring light to our world.