Album Review: Sparks, MAD!

Over a career that spans more than five decades, with Sparks, LA-born brothers Ron and Russell Mael essentially created the idea of the synth-pop duo, along with inspiring multiple generations of musicians. Remarkably, the duo enjoyed their most successful run of albums with their last three, 2017’s Hippopotamus, 2020’s A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip and 2023’s The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte.

MAD!, their 28th long-player, looks set to continue the trend, and is nothing like you’d expect a band of their vintage to sound; Ron, who plays keyboards and writes the songs, will be 80 in August, while sprightly singer Russell is 76.

The synth-tastic ‘Running Up A Tab At The Hotel For The Fab’ may hark back to early-’80s new wave, but most of MAD! feels and sounds like an album created for now, from the symphonic pop of ‘I-405 Rules’ to ‘Don’t Dog It’, which mixes boogie-woogie piano with frantic synth action.

The mid-paced and supremely catchy ‘Do Things My Own Way’ sounds like Talking Heads jamming with ELO; the toe-tappingly brilliant ‘A Little Bit Of Light Banter’ is like the best parts of Neil Hannon and Stephen Merritt; and the joyous closer ‘Lord Have Mercy’ reminds this listener of The Flaming Lips at their most inclusive.

MAD! brims over with clever lyrics, catchy melodies and arrangements that are never short of interesting, as the siblings deliver another wonderful record.

9/10

Out now