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. 

Sparks - "A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip (BMG)

Sparks - "A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip" (BMG) Streaming

The brilliant aspect of Sparks is not only their way of writing the most catchy melodies, but how they take a subject matter and make it with weight and profound intelligence. "A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip" is such a work that touches greatness with no great effort. Take "Lawnmower," for instance. A song about the love of owning and riding on a lawnmower: it's the obsession of having an object is similar to John Cheever's short story "The Swimmer," where the character goes into the pool after swimming pool to get home, which of course, he never makes it. In all cases, there is a world without Sparks, which is a very blue and bleak world indeed, and then there is a presence where you have Sparks among your favorite items, so the lawnmower is Sparks.

The songs of Ron and Russell Mael, in theory, play in the medium of pop or rock, but in actuality, I think of them as songs set as a chamber piece or a theatrical piece of staging, without the stage. When I sit down in front of a pair of speakers, or on my computer earbuds, I feel like I'm reading either a short story collection or an absurd novel of some design. To me, Sparks doesn't really have a collection of songs, but more of a singular piece of work where the songs fit into a specific format. Like their other albums, all the songs on "A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip" flow one to another in an organic sensibility as of putting peanut butter and jam together.

The sound that rings out to me on this album is the sound of the acoustic strumming guitar. The album is beautifully orchestrated with textural sounds of what sounds like un-electronic instrumentation. Or the sound of a synth that is very Moroder-like in touches here and there. On the other hand, Sparks are masters of illusions, but what I hear is beautiful oriented pop music, in its most natural existence. Perfection is an art, but for Sparks, their music is also business as usual. The big mystery is, how do they keep up their standard of excellence, for so many decades?

This is a big album full of more massive sounds. If one makes comparisons, I would think of the theatrical songs by Weill/Brecht or even Stephen Sondheim. The articulate words meet the well-defined melody, and that, in a nutshell, is Sparks' sense of magic. - Tosh Berman

Sparks - "Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins" Yellow Vinyl, Remastered, Reissued, 2xCD, 2019/1994 (BMG)

It's no secret that I'm a Sparks' fanatic. My love for this crazed duo is as immense as the oceans and deep into the distant stars. For me, there is no such thing as a bad Sparks' album, but "Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins" is one of my faves among their recorded masterpieces. There is not another haunting song as "Let's Go Surfing," or "When Do I Sing My Way." Sparks made masterpieces in the 1970s and 1980s but disappeared amid the later 80s, and returned to magnificence with the above album. 

Hardcore electro-pop, this is music made by two men, and it's a tight album with no wasted space. It's a specific and focused set of songs that focuses on some aspects of pop culture, as seen through the Mael brothers. "Gone with the Wind," Sinatra's and Sid's "My Way," Charlie Parker, The BBC, Liberace, and Hong Kong filmmaker (who is on the album as well) Tsui Hark all share space in this work. They bounce off each other, and in some sense, there is communication or sharing between these iconic figures/institutions. 

CD-1 is a compilation of remixes from "Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins." What stands out is Bernard Butler's mix of ("When I Kiss You) I Hear Charlie Parker." He adds guitar textures that give the song a different feel than the standard version. Also of great interest is their version of "Little Drummer Boy," and a great unknown Sparks song, "She's An Anchorman." What makes this reissue a must for the fan is CD-2, which is unreleased (until now) great unknown Sparks songs, which I presume was recorded around the same time as "Gratuitous Sax." 17 songs here and not one is a dud. Also noted are the songs sung by Christi Haydon. She was their live drummer in the 1990s, and it seems at one point and time, was set-up to sing the songs of Sparks. Similar to Serge Gainsbourg working with Jane Birkin/Brigitte Bardot or Lee Hazelwood's work with Nancy Sinatra. All great, especially "Katharine Hepburn," which is an unknown Sparks masterpiece song and her excellent version of The Who's (John Entwistle) "Boris the Spider." Superb packaging and music. A must for Sparks' fans, but also proof of their greatness. 

Bryan Ferry and his Orchestra - "Bitter-Sweet" Vinyl, LP, Album, 2018 (BMG)

This is the second album by Bryan Ferry where he goes through his song catalog and re-arranges his both, Roxy Music and solo songs into the era of early big band jazz. What sounds like a gimmick on paper, is actually one of Ferry's best album projects.  I would even argue that these recordings stand up, and even exceed some of his original recordings.   Half the album is instrumental, and once, Ferry's aging voice adds emotional overtures to the material.  It's beautifully sung and played by a large group of musicians.  Ferry has always been fascinated with the modern world, and that includes not only the present, future but also the past in such a 'moderne' mode or fashion.

On the surface, one can see this as a nostalgic love for an era that passes away, but for Ferry, I think it's a style of music that never left him.  He has always taken music as a historian, who tried to find new meaning within its framework.  "Bitter-Sweet" is an accurate title for the album (and also one of his great songs from Roxy Music) because the feeling of regret is very much felt. To say this album is romantic is like saying it's sunny in a cloudless day in Southern California.  Repeated listenings bring new rewards, and it is a gift that does keep on giving.   One, I always loved the sound of Roxy Music and most of Ferry's solo recordings, but now, I realize that he's a magnificent songwriter.  These arrangements are great because they are working from a great source, which of course are the songs themselves.

A big band but intimate music is coming from this group.  This is a sound where musicians are looking at each other eye-to-eye, with perhaps a conductor in the middle of the room.   As Ferry has one theme of his work, which is to locate the perfect romantic spot that is blissful and painful at the same time.   It's not about sexual conquest, but more of a situation where the pain of romance-lost is like a beautiful yet distant island.  Ferry is the one artist, who stands at the dock of the bay and looks out to this island, not that far off from a scene in F. Scott Fitzerald's 'The Last Gatsby."

Side one is more danceable or uptempo, but side two is a reflection that is sour, and three of its songs is from the debut Roxy Music album.  A classic, and which on the original recordings it is about the past as a concept, Ferry now re-frames these songs as actually a spirit from an era of the past.  It's similar to the last scene in "The Shining" where the caretaker Jack is placed in a photo of a party from the 1920s.  It's like the future is not really here.  Ferry's "Bitter-Sweet" is a brilliant album.   Just as great as the first Roxy album, and "For Your Pleasure."

Various - "Babylon Berlin" OST, 3 x Vinyl, 2 x CD, LP, Album, Germany, 2018 (BMG)

Only a few times in my old life have I been affected by a film/show where I needed to get the soundtrack of that work right away.  "Performance" and "A Clockwork Orange" comes to mind that I raced to the record store to get those OST albums after seeing those films in a theater.  "Babylon Berlin" is the third soundtrack album, where I was compelled due to the excellence of the show, and how important the recording was to the images that came on my TV set.  "Babylon Berlin is a German TV show based on a series of detective novels by Volker Kutscher that takes place in the Weimar Republic.  The program is a mixture of noir and the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew.  The soundtrack is mostly composed by one of the show's directors Tom Tykwer and composer Johnny Kilmek.  This three disk set if you play from side one to the last,  is two hours long.   Along with the Tykwer/Kilmek music, you also get the Bryan Ferry Orchestra, with Ferry on vocals on two cuts, the Moka Efti Orchestra, one song by Tim Fischer, and blues performer/guitarist (& wonderfully named) Guitar Crusher.

Like the production of the show, this soundtrack is a form of perfection as well.   When I first heard it, I thought it sounded like electronic music, but as far as I can tell, this is real instruments in a large ensemble, playing very complexed pieces.  It sounds like music composed/made in Germany in the late 1920s, but in actuality, the work is very layered and contemporary, but with one foot in the past, and the other very much in present 21st-century music.    The album by its packaging and theme one would think it will be nostalgic music, but the work is very 'now,' and is very much music based on the past, but with overtures to that's post-modern in practice.  The Bryan Ferry Orchestra is a perfect example of re-thinking one's work (Ferry's songs for solo and Roxy Music)  and placing it in another era.  For Ferry, I think it was another way of bringing life to his melodies or framing it in a new position where one listens to the work in a new way.  Ironically it's remembrances are from the past, but it's old music presented in a new manner.  Tykwer and Kilmek use the same method, but it's modernism that is the engine that makes this music so appealing.  The key track is "Zu Asche, Zu Staub" which is one of the great end-of-credit songs ever.   Also music (video) showpiece for "Babylon Berlin," with a cross-dressing erotic presence of Severija.  The show looks like it cost Millions (and it did) but also the soundtrack sounds as expensive to produce as well. 

Some soundtracks bring up the images from the film/show when you play it, and the music does that when you listen to "Babylon Berlin," but the other aspect is that this is music that can exist by itself.  A vibrant soundtrack to a historically significant (and sad) culture is placed on the grooves of this work by Ferry, Tykwer, and Kilmek. 

Japan - "Quiet Life" CD, Album, Reissue, 2001/1979 (BMG)

When the most unfashionable band in existence became the most fashionable band in the era of the new romantic.   How they made that work is a total mystery to me.  Japan's first two albums I have heard bits and pieces but never could take them seriously due to their appearance and worse, the name of their band.  It's common knowledge that bands that name themselves after places, especially countries, in theory, suck.   Yet somehow, David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Steve Jansen (David's brother), Richard Barbieri and guitarist Rob Dean managed to turn themselves into sophisticated sonic artists. 

It's like they made a deal with Satan at the crossroads.  Nevertheless, it must have been an 'ah-ha' moment for all those involved. 

What's interesting, and who I think is an essential person in their change of tactics is their producer John Punter.  Punter worked with Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music on their/his early solo recordings  The first thing I think of when listening to Japan is Roxy Music.  Sylvian took on the Bryan Ferry voice mannerisms, and the instruments became more Roxy like, but with additional sonic textures that were their own making.  The interesting thing about Sylvian is that he truly transform himself into a different type of singer/performer/writer.  Sylvian's songs reflected his mood, but with a European icy aesthetic that pretty much removed them from their London roots.  Also in future recordings, they worked with Steve Nye, another long-term Roxy/Eno associate.  The results of these relationships and in the band's artistry is remarkable. 

"Quiet Life" is the first 'new' version of Japan.  The original vinyl album had eight songs, but the CD reissue has 12 altogether, with two being remixes for the 12" market, and the additional "Life in Tokyo" produced and co-written by the great Giorgio Moroder.   Sylvian is not a man of action, but a figure who reflects on his surroundings, and contemplates on the nature of his world.  With his deep ballad (Ferry like) croon, his voice floats over the instrumentation, which has one very particular instrument - and that's Mick Karn's fretless bass.  Karn is the secret ingredient to Japan's success. Sylvian looked like a cross-dressing fashion model out of Vogue, but Karn had a Mediterranian good looking vibe, but also his distinctive playing of the bass is a huge part of their overall sound.  In a sense, it is like there are two singers in Japan.  Sylvian with his voice and the other voice is the bass.  Also noted is that the front cover is Sylvian by himself, but the back cover is Karn. Which suggests that the band is Sylvan on one side, and the other is Karn, with the rest of the group being in the middle of those two, as they are displayed in the inner sleeve. The keyboard work from  Barbieri (as well as Sylvian) is never based on chords, but more with sound. It's very organized musiques concréte, with jazz-like drumming from Jansen.  

The weird juxtaposition of them being pin-up teen idols, but with a very sophisticated sound must have been an odd experience for both the fan and musicians.   Although the music is loose, it is still very contained in an airless box, which makes listening to a "Quiet Life" an exciting experience.  The songs are all beautiful.  The pacing is quite slow, but it's the textures that keep one's interest throughout the album.  Their cover of the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a perfect vehicle of a song for them to do.  On the surface captures the sense of dread within a social world, and Japan, at this point, is out of that world, and in a much-confined inner-world.  

"Quiet Life" is by no means an ambient album, but I think a listener can tell that the group was heading toward a place that is 'furniture music' (Satie), but here they still explore the boundaries of the pop music format.  If the new listener can get past their silly name, one will be awarded an impressive landscape that is Japan's music. 

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