Cancel culture’s taken on a new meaning in the last few weeks, with your social and gig calendar full of blanks right up till the end of summer and beyond. Still, talk of album delays […]
Tag: Sparks
Have we any patience left for Morrissey?
In 2008, Sparks released the song ‘Lighten Up, Morrissey’ – an arched eyebrow nod to Stephen Patrick’s reputation as indie music’s greatest curmudgeon. Some 10 years later, Baltimore rapper JPEGMAFIA has a song on his […]
Franz Ferdinand on the Ascent again
It takes balls to call your fifth album Always Ascending – especially if your singles from over a decade ago are still trailing behind you as a reminder of past chart dominance. But Franz Ferdinand’s […]
Moo Kid’s 2017 in 25 albums
This time last year we were begging for 2016 to hurry up and finish, oblivious to the cesspit round the corner. Luckily we have all these album lists to remind us of the year’s artistic […]
You’ve got Mael: An interview with Russell of Sparks
For nearly 50 years Sparks have been one of pop music’s biggest conundrums. If you’re way out of the loop the LA duo are a one-hit wonder, but they’ve had over 20 albums since their […]
Too smart for the charts: Sparks – Hello Young Lovers (2006)
Sparks are about to release their 24th album Hippopotamus this Friday, and it’s another pop sidestep from the brothers Ron and Russell Mael, who’ve been upending pop conventions for nearly 50 years. Hippopotamus is a […]
Skip the foreplay: Sparks become disco infiltrators on Beat the Clock (1979)
JUST last year, art-rock pranksters Sparks finally created an official YouTube channel, hoping to round up some of the greatest pop clips of the last five decades. So far they’ve got 45 videos and counting, […]
Still Dicking Around: Sparks at BBC 6 Music Festival
Sparks have always been the daft uncles in my record collection, prancing with an arched eyebrow over everything they do. Ron & Russell Mael are one of the most singular double acts in pop history, […]
Moo Kid 