Sparks - Hello Young Lovers

Sparks' last album, 2002's Lil' Beethoven, saw the brothers Ron and Russel Mael defying conventional categorization with a unique take on popular music. The album was a melting pot of various aural pleasures, and one could never quite definitively label any track as one genre or another. Was it rock? Was it pop? Was it rock/pop with a classical, rock opera twist? The Maels certainly had no interest in stale sounds or familiar arrangements. Fortunately for those of us who care very little about which section of the record store we buy our music in, Sparks continues to make fresh music that is nearly impossible to label. Their 20th studio album, the recently-released Hello Young Lovers, is a natural extension of Lil' Beethoven. The music is similar, with layered instruments and electronics that provide a modern pop spin on classical music arrangements. Where Lovers shows growth from Beethoven is in its complex lyrical structure. Beethoven saw the use of key repeated phrases throughout the duration of each song; it was pop minimalism at its finest. Lovers takes the general sound of Beethoven and builds spectacularly witty and well-articulated stories and anecdotes upon the established musical structures. In terms of subjects covered, Lovers sticks to a few of the old classics: Sex, relationships, human psychology, and, of course, aliens. The not-so-subtly titled "(Baby Baby) Can I Invade Your Country?" appears, at first, to take a stab at American politics (the verse lyrics are the words to "The Star Spangled Banner"), but there is most certainly a sexual connotation to the title/chorus phrase that overrides the vague political mention (war as metaphor for sex, perhaps?). Speaking of metaphors, the track "Metaphor," one of the album's standouts, also hints at a theme of amusing sexuality. The song informs listeners that "chicks dig metaphors" and to "use them wisely / use them well / and you'll never know the hell of loneliness." What makes the song pure genius is that the verses are made up of metaphors about metaphors: "A metaphor is a popular place / a parking space / a multiplex showing." As always, the distinct Sparks wit is in full swing in every note and word of this record. Other key tracks include the lengthy, twisting "As I Sit to Play the Organ at the Notre Dame Cathedral" in which a story is told of a man who uses his musical talents in public to catch the attention of women, the sexy "Here Kitty," complete with a "meowing" backup vocal track, and "There's No Such Thing As Aliens," a silly little song with a fair flourish of dramatic whimsy. The witty, theatrical qualities of Sparks' music do not make them the most accessible band around. But if you allow yourself the time to find a way into their sound, you will have made yourself a fan of one of today's most underrated, genius groups. [www.allsparks.com]