A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip

Since their heyday in the mid-70s with their classic albums Kimono My House and Propaganda, Sparks' fortunes had been more down than up. That is until the start of the 21st century.The release in 2002 of Lil' Beethoven was the start of a continual run of excellent albums. Hello Young Lovers (2006), Exotic Creatures of the Deep (2008), The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman (2009), FFS (their 2015 collaboration with Franz Ferdinand), Hippopotamus (2015), followed by A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip.I don't know how they keep producing such excellent material. Ron is 77 and Russell is 74, yet they show no sign of stopping, or of dipping in quality.For anyone who is unaware of the wonderful music they've been making for the last 20 years, A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip is a great place to remedy that.

Three years ago I bought "Hippopotamus" and at a click of a mouse button doubled the number of Sparks albums in my collection to two, adding "Hippopotamus" to "Kimono My House" and since then have awaited the next release [for some reason I can't bring myself to fill in the twenty plus album gap between KMH and H, largely I think because I don't know where to start, I wasn't big fan of the Mael Brothers disco work with Giorgio Moroder and that has put me off so ideas welcomed].Now while I enjoyed much of "Hippopotamus" it was a little bit inconsistent with some tracks not hitting the spot for me and I only gave it four stars when I reviewed it shortly after its release, but this time following the hype around "A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip" I am hoping for a five star album. [I should add that "Hippopotamus" has grown on me with each successive play since then so would probably be five stars were I to re-review it today.].So, cutting to the chase, this is very much a companion album to "Hippopotamus" but with a more consistent, although overall darker sound that leaves you amazed at how the brothers continue to come up with novel ideas and continue to sound so fresh after so many years. And like "Hippopotamus" there are some really excellent ironic, wacky, witty, wry [pick your own adjective] tracks here, so if you liked "Hippopotamus" then you're going to like "A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip".Amongst the best here are the wonderfully observed suburbanite's love affair with his "Lawnmower" [the rhyming of Landrover and Andover is a brilliant]; the wit of [a] "Sainthood Is Not In Your Future"; the magnificent classical grandeur of "Stravinski's Only Hit"; the cod-operatic "Onomata Pia"; Ron and Russell's green plea in the pastiche "Please Don't F*** Up My World" with its youth choir chorus; and best of all the brilliant spot-on imagery of "iPhone" as the brothers re-imagine Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address being interrupted by a ringing mobile phone.But it's not that there's anything really wrong with the other tracks, although "The Existential Threat" does sound a lot like "Giddy Gidddy" from "Hippopotamus", it's just that they are not as immediate although with multiple listenings I expect they will get there but for now it's four stars.Sit back and listen, this an album to enjoy.

This is more like it Sparks! Any kind of Sparks fan will love this record...but with me being a big one I have to admit I was disappointed with the rather plain for the Mael brothers Hippopotamus, and despite being delighted with the FFS side project, I have been waiting for a good album since Exotic Creatures Of The Deep. I also think that Sparks' last great album was my all time favourite.....Hello Young Lovers.Until now that is (I'm betting you already caught onto the build up there...)!!!!A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip continues to re light my inner 'Sparks' with its fantastic high ratio of fab new Sparks classics. My MP3 player is simply dripping with amazement that now after 5 decades of funny, spot on, arty, poetic pop art the boys come up with another instant classic.The opener All That rates alongside Dick Around as one of the very best and there is no let up on the rest of the album. The Stravinsky track is possibly my favourite at the moment but what gets to me is the timely nature of their audacious lyrics. From mobile phone apathy to politically charged throw away comments like please to not f*** up my world, this record is just brilliant, entertaining and really great fun (as you would expect).Not convinced about my rating of Hippopotamus (which I think sadly is pretty boring...)?? Then just try playing that album straight after this classic...... believe me when I say you won't feel the need to play spot the difference.Anyway I love you Sparks!!!!???!!!?!!!

You would imagine that a band who had been around since the early 70s would have nothing left to give by 2020 but nothing could be further from the truth with Sparks. In fact this, their 24th album, might be their best yet. Alongside, Hippopotamus, this is my favourite one.Classic tracks include "Lawnmower" "Sainthood is not in your future" and "Please don't f... up my world". As for "iPhone", I am tempted to play it at full volume to my 6th Form students and would if it didn't contain swearing and would get me sacked. This album is wonderful.

A new Sparks album! Its sure to be a crowd pleaser for Sparks fans and has songs which are relevant in 2020 without being too preachy. Sparks music is always changing and in this album they pay some homage to the past but its modern sounding and production is, as always with Sparks, top of the line.Just a shame they are not touring as we were supposed to see them live performing this album. In the meantime, you can play this so that you'll know all the lyrics when we can see them live.Hard to believe they have been going since the early 70s. Most people of a certain age will remember the classic 'This town aint big enough for the both of us' and the quirkiness of Sparks. Listen again and you'll hear music that is well made, songs which you can sing (sometimes) and music you can dance to.Long live Sparks!