Live wires
Thirty-five years on from their debut, mismatched duo SPARKS return with a new album and tour. Robin Lee swaps soundbites with singer Russell Mael.
\k a random selection ol‘ people what qtie\tion they would ptit to Sparks giyen the chance.
and the most common answer is. ‘llas one of
them \till got a Hitler moustache." The reference is to
Ron \lacl'x procliyity for growing a small «pane of
lacial hair beneath the nose. ol‘ten accessorised with a
patrol l'tinctional-looking \pecs and dicked-lmck hair
his appearance in direct contrast to brother Russell's good looks and impixhnexx.
Still can‘t picture them'.’ Perhaps youth is on your side. btit you might haye heard "l‘his Town Ain't Big linout-‘h lior the Both of l's‘. a hit in W74 and NUS. and again for the l)arkne\.\'.\ .ltistin Hawkins in 2005. The L‘oIttbinatioti oi. l‘alxclto \‘ocal accompanied by ptinkixh. breathlexx tempo and thumping rhythm i\ the tradetnark Sparkx sound. and the one that‘s elegantly described by the most memorable lyric in the \ong ‘l leartbeatl Increasing heartbeat!‘
‘In retrospect. there's something a bit more comple\.‘ \ayx Rave” Mael. ‘lt \L‘Cllh almoxt ax il' a higher goal w as set tip. We're going back and re- learning some old songs we hayen't done for a while It‘or the new totirl. lt'» challenging. and at the time we didn‘t think about it as doing challenging lttllsie‘. it \\;t,\ the same philosophy we hay e now: just doing stul't' that's interesting. It‘s still pop music in the end.‘
Stirer the energy has ebbed away after three decades‘.’ \'e\ and no. The POP hooks are lexx oby ions. the \earng guitar lines absent and the balls-in-a-yice crooning no more. They haye been replaced by \nippcls of lyric. repeated Totirettes-like oy er a mock- orchestral backdrop replete with synthesiscrx and
60 THE LIST I 't: iz‘t‘ .‘ VF
‘NO-ONE HAS ATTENTION SPANS ANY MORE’
piano. held together by sarcastic narratiyc lampooning modern lite and the ltlllxie‘ business.
The deyice of w eaying \(tlllltihilc\ into \omething almost symphonic has an irony that\ not ltixl on Rtl\\e‘ll. '.\'o—one has attention \[Ntth any more. liyerything ix soundbites and it's a sad commentary. liyeryoiic wants the abbreyiated \erxion of w hatey er it ix. \Ve'yc gone back the other way.‘
It.» eaxy for old rockers to look stupid moaning about ‘the youth of today‘. btit the humour in Sparks is such that they carry it ol‘l'. Witness l.r‘/' li’t't'r/roi'r'ii. their 3002 opus which rankx alongside anything they did in the 7(),\. One tune is called ‘\\'hat .-\re .-\ll ’l'hexe Billitl\ So .-\ngry About". and in 'Surbtirban
llorneboy '. the brothers haye a latigli at the e\pense of
middle-class boy/ in da hood. The album's success spurred .\lorri\\e_\. a long-time fan. to inyite them to play at the Meltdown liextiyal in London two year\ later.
The l'S-born. Lox .-\nge|e\-dwelling pair haye always had a \trong following in the PK. w here they had their first chart hit. At the Meltdown gig they play ed Kiiirono My Home (their l‘)74 breakthrough LP) and l.r'/' liver/town in order. separated by an interyal. and they plan to do similar with new album Hello Turing /.()\'(’I'.\. ‘11 should be an occasion when you see \olttcbody. and it shouldn‘t jtixt be a gig.‘ says Rll\\cll. ‘.-\n album \httlllti be an eyent its well. so we really go at it with that philosophy.‘
Carling Academy, Glasgow, Sun 12 Feb. Hello Young Lovers is out 6 Feb on Gut Records.
Nick Cave The Bad Seeds stay home this weekend as Cave shows why his songs of late have been prett\y intitth unbeatable. Playhouse. Edinburgh. Sat 4 Feb; liova/ Concert Ha/l, G/asgoii. Sun :3 Feb. "'Rt'XI/x a Pop)
Jose Gonzalez Sweden Wit Argentina is a long way to travel to discover your musmal more but Crop/ale? has and his profile is currently rising thanks to his song 'l leartbeats' being used on a big ad campaign. btit the praise he's getting is deserved. See :3 Reasons. page [1, Oran Mor. Glasgow. Fri 3 Feb; Liquid Room, (Edinburgh. Sat 4 Feb. (Rock 8 Pep)
Brian Kellock and Tommy Smith Scotland's leading iazz musICians 10H] forces in another consummate display of improvrsational and instrumental artistry. Ja// Centre at the Lot. Edinburgh. Wed 8 Feb. (JaX/i
Sparks See prevrew. left. Car/mg Academy, Glasgow, Sun 72 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop)
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Nins Rilo Kiley are a pretty damn fine indie rock band so when their srnger Ms Lewrs decides to stride out on a country tip we should expect something nothing shod of excellent. See prevrew. page 61. Mono. Glasgow. Sun 72 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop)
Todd Gordon and Jacqui Dankworth The pick of the Valentine's Jazz events features two of the c0untry’s most accomplished Jazz vocalists in a romantic programme. Roya/ Concert Halt Glasgow, Tue 7 4 Feb. (Jazzi
Spies in the Wires Presents :Forward Russia! and Drive-By Argument The List has got in cahoots With the folks at the Cab and the l Fly Spitfires DJs for a night showcasmg new mUSIC frcm far and away. or in this case. Leeds and Ayrshire. See preview. Cabaret Voltaire. Edinburgh, Thu 76 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop)