Sparks - Exotic Creatures of the Deep (Album)
With a career spanning well over 30 years and 21 albums, it’s interesting to see (or hear) that excentric brothers; Russell and Ron Mael, AKA Sparks have managed to maintain and sustain their completely unique style and sound which is relevant, dateless and utterly their own. Their 21st album Exotic Creatures of the Deep is no exception, and I guess if you like their odd, symphony-esque, depth and detail to humerous stylings of music from days gone by, your probably going to get a kick out of Exotic Creatures of the Deep.
To describe their sound for those who are uninitiated, I’ll try this; Imagine Salvador Dali’s art morphed into music, couple that with a Broadway musical at a circus, which is situated on a rollercoaster, run by monkeys who may or may not be on acid. Incredibly detailed through every orchestral note, with humerous, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, which at points will make you laugh out loud, and others asking yourself “can they actually say that?”. It’s utterly oddball, and complete genius. Their formula has rarely changed, and if you like them once, you will like them always. Think of them as the grandfathers of bands like; They Might Be Giants, Depeche Mode, New Order, Ween and even Devo.
So, with that said, Exotic Creatures of the Deep is pretty much the high quality release you’d expect from Sparks. Opening with the aptly titled Intro; Sparks introduce us to the album with the repetitive statement of; “I don’t care if you love me, just so you like me”, a fitting statement for a band of this calibre and musical freedom after all these years.
First single Good Morning is as catchy and appealing as you’d expect for a first single, but is far from being one of the album’s stand out tracks. What really makes this opus of an album work, is it’s ability to drive the listener through the various stories, statements and irrelevant themes of life and love in a similar way to that of a Braodway musical; peaking in places and lulling in others. “I can’t believe that you would fall for all the crap in this song” is a lull, but humerously entertaining in the meantime, whilst the track Let the Monkey Drive is a strong and catchy tune, and a nice way to round out the first half of the album.
Intro Reprise is the mid-way break, and works well in dividing the album into two distinct sections, as from here on the, the second half of the album really picks up momentum, and has a truly incredible streak of great tracks, which sit perfectly next to any of the Sparks back catalogue. (She Got me) Pregnant thumps through the story of a man getting pregnant, complete with manic horns and drums driving a desperate yet comical tone, which is nothing short of brilliant, whilst, Lighten Up, Morrissey is exactly what it is; a testament to Morrissey, to “lighten up”, and a much more rocky song than the previous orchestral tracks. This is the Renaissance is Sparks interpretation and lesson of the mentioned art movement, which is astoundingly well portrayed and explained in lamen’s terms for us all to understand; “Middle ages sucked, Spent all day in prayer. Judgement Day was everyday and Witches burning everywhere, But now we are in luck, Beauties everywhere. Paintings filled with foxy women, No one’s got a cross to bear cos this is the Renaissance”. Whilst The Director Never Yelled ‘Cut’ is the all too true story of a bad director, sounding somewhat like a musical piece left out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Exotic Creatures of the Deep is a completely enjoyable and absorbing album. It sounds just like Sparks always have and seemingly always will. If you are familiar with the band and enjoy their style, you’ll know exactly what to expect, but if you are yet to be introduced, this is as good a place to start as any – and I highly suggest getting started on Sparks…
