Sparks - C ou D

this is their funniest album in a long time, isn't it? kinda feels like the sharp sense of humor that went wayward sometime around Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat is back. some real great tunes too. I don't think it needs to be cut down...every song on this seems pretty good to me!

Yeah, I was thinking you'd have to go back to the '80s to find the last Sparks album that was this overtly fun/funny. At the same time some of the last album's more melancholy side is there too -- feel like they've really perfected that balance.

Livestream of their Berlin show happening now:

https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/078567-001-A/berlin-live-sparks/

Oooooh, thank you!

ok I'm dying at the video for "missionary position"

Btw I find the idea that they haven't been funny since the 80s bizarre. Good morning, lighten up morrissey, collaborations don't work

I hard a rumour that the collaboration didn't work and that they fell out with Franz

Well hope various American posters caught the NYC/California shows. Saw the early show last night here in SF; fantastic as ever. They're doing two nights in Tokyo in a couple of days should anyone be over there.

You can listen today, 3pm ET

https://wfmu.org/2017/10/23/sparks-live-on-wfmu-plus-interview-with-ron-and-russell-mael-airing-on-brian-turners-show-on-oct-31st-3pm-6pm/

every day i find myself with any of a half dozen of the new tracks in my head and i haven't even listening to the album that much.

Btw I find the idea that they haven't been funny since the 80s bizarre. Good morning, lighten up morrissey, collaborations don't work

― good art is orange; great art is teal (wins)

agree, see also "Let The Monkey Drive"

Same

I think every song on it is good. It actually reminds me more of Indiscreet than anything, where each song seems to be in it's own world. But I find it even better than that album, because yeah, nearly song is so stupidly catchy, and only the title track is actively irritating. I've gone back to it a lot, it's very much the sort of album I wished Exotic Creatures was.

My 2-year old daughter is obsessed with the title track so I've been hearing it daily for the past few weeks.

Good interview and live "Missionary Position":

https://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/bookworm/sparks-part-i

Oh nice, I'd missed they'd done another interview with him (had done one some years back).

Holy shit I need this immediately.

http://www.indiewire.com/2018/06/edgar-wright-documentary-rock-band-sparks-1201977373/

Oh yeah, he mentioned it a few weeks ago during his appearance on the R U Talkin' R.E.M. RE: ME? podcast.

I vaguely remember news of him filming the London concert but had missed the documentary news. What a good thing to see this week, honestly.

He said on R U Talkin' R.E.M. re: Me? (last week's episode) that he hasn't done anything on it apart from filming the London show, and there's no timeframe as yet.

Yes, thank you:

https://www.facebook.com/sparksofficial/photos/a.161269161864/10156502326196865/?type=3&theater

NO 1 IN HEAVEN・40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION ✨

Originally released March 2nd 1979, Sparks are celebrating the 40th anniversary of No 1 In Heaven with a specially remastered and curated double color vinyl and CD release. This edition features new sleeve notes written by Ron & Russell and remastered bonus tracks, which include original and rare album Peter Cook radio promo spots.

Out March 1st 2019 on Lil' Beethoven Records.

Available for pre-order → store.allsparks.com

Sounds like this might actually finally be happening: https://variety.com/2019/film/global/marion-cotillard-leos-caraxs-annette-1203215774/

Still great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Givls9BUhc

saw that single pop up on RYM and wondered if it was an environmentalist tune

take the word "fuck" out of the title and this could be the Pet Shop Boys

"We are the world" for the Greta age

Am I the only who thinks the opening lines sound a bit like the chorus in "Across the Universe", harmonically?

Sparks' new album A STEADY DRIP, DRIP, DRIP is released May 15th, 2020 ✨

Check out all the different editions of the album & pre-order your copy → https://t.co/pGZJKQ6OVg pic.twitter.com/LuyO06pn8g

— SPARKS (@sparksofficial) January 27, 2020

not sure if that picture disc is awesome or an eyesore but I'll probably grab it regardless

An awesome eyesore.

oof the shipping puts this over fifty bucks, I guess I'm out

currently listening to the 3-disc version of Gratuitous Sax, this is kind of an odd album get the megaexpanded reissue treatment but it's pretty fun. there's basically an entire CD's worth of demos that were never properly recorded.

Because of my Franz Ferdinand fandom (and their FFS collaboration, which I own a copy of on CD) and Ned's continual championing of the band, I own a copy of New Music for Amnesiacs: The Essential Collection and my goodness is it a good one. Think I should get their Moroder album next because I love Moroder already, then work my way through their '70s oeuvre before making my way through the '80s. Though I kinda already loved "Eaten by the Monster of Love" because of how much I love the music from the movie Valley Girl and I've known about "Cool Places" ever since I was a young teenager since it was on the first CD release I ever owned (Classic MTV Class of 1983).

My intro to Sparks was in the 70's movie "Rollercoaster", about a cop tracking down a psychopath intent on planting bombs on rollercoasters across the USA. Sparks was the band playing during the inaugural ride on the faster/tallest coaster which was opening at Magic Mountain. They sure had the look and feel of a typical hard rock band of the era. Imagine my surprise when I finally heard Kimono My House!

http://graphikdesigns.free.fr/sparks-rollercoaster-movie/rollercoaster-movie-mael.jpg

haha wow

In retrospect this was a memorable sequence. The viewer wasn't sure if there was a bomb planted on the Great American Revolution (the name of the rollercoaster, this was 1976 after all) or not, and the camera POV kept going back and forth between the screaming riders and Ron Mael's glowering countenance. Every so often a flash pot would explode on the Sparks stage, to unsettling effect. It was pretty tense, actually!

New single! Though apparently not the first single from the new album, because Please Don't Fuck Up My World is going to be on there too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkEAhNJC-zE

awesome song! terrible production!

yeah it sounds like a compressed MP3. you can hear it in the drums

great song, does all the things they do well

Love these guys so much. New album is GREAT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DA95FFBJNs

i watched the video for Lawnmower yesterday and I've been walking around singing it ever since

I like the new album a lot. like the last one it doesn't quite have the high points of Hello Young Lovers or Exotic Creatures but it's a much more consistent album. the singles aren't really any better or worse than the album tracks. as a whole it reminds me of Indiscreet, every track is its own thing and there are a lot of unexpectedly emotional moments. every time I listen to it I like it more

Pacific Standard Time -> Stravinsky's Only Hit -> Left Out in the Cold...what a great stretch

Been waiting for this news to break!

✨EXCITING NEWS!!✨@edgarwright's long-awaited documentary THE SPARKS BROTHERS will get its premiere at the 2021 @sundancefest!! 🎬#Sundance #TheSparksBrothers pic.twitter.com/Tit2GCAMjl

— SPARKS (@sparksofficial) December 15, 2020

Yes!!!

Okay, reminder that the Sparks documentary is live later today via Sundance -- go here:

https://fpg.festival.sundance.org/film-info/5fd11d4063d6771d15c3a5f8

3 pm Pacific, 6 pm Eastern, 11 pm UK.

Three hours to go, can’t wait!

ysi?

Just kiddin. I hope there will be a DVD.

Awesome and a half. Waiting on the Q&A.

What a ride! I know there was a point where Edgar Wright was having trouble whittling down a 3-hour version of it. Hope that version sees the light of day eventually. Even if it’s just more footage of Ron and Russell going about their daily routine — all that stuff was delightful.

Yeah that sense of regularity of habit immediately made me think of Gilbert and George.

Edgar may have to extend the documentary a bit

🤫#newsparksalbum pic.twitter.com/lyKC5ufzE7

— SPARKS (@sparksofficial) April 7, 2021

new song with Todd Rundgren (!) who is imitating Klaus Nomi (??)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVxnnyvpqr0

Trailer for Leos Carax’s ANNETTE, featuring a script/music by the Brothers Mael

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On4v1gNJkrE