Review #476: Kimono My House, Sparks
#476: Kimono My House, Sparks
I have never even heard of Sparks, and this album cover gave me no clues as to what kind of record it was, so I had really no idea what to expect. But it wasn’t what I got.
Firstly, Sparks was formed by brothers Russell and Ron Mael, born and raised in Los Angeles. Russell was the singer, while Ron played keyboards and wrote nearly every song. According to them, they were not exactly in love with the folk or artsy music scene that was burgeoning in California at the time. (Looking at you, Joni.) They called it “cerebral and sedate and we had no time for that.” Instead they chose to consume nearly exclusively English bands. After being discovered by Todd Rundgren, they formed a band and called it … Halfnelson. Um, okay. Rundgren produced their self-titled debut, which sold poorly. After this cool reception, they opted to change their name, go all-in on their Anglophilia, and relocated to the UK.
While their previous albums were somewhat eclectic in style, on this one, they went all-in on glam rock. And what a shrewd move. For once, RS makes a really apt analogy: “The overwhelming sensation … is a sense that you’ve arrived at a party where you know no one and hear things you can’t comprehend but still have a great time.” Opening song is “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us,” which shocked me with its drama: each verse starts out with a relatively mundane situation, then escalates with lines about cannibalism and Hiroshima and dying in a hail of bullets. Cinematic drama was apparently exactly what Ron was going for — even forcing Russell, who claims that he was an “untrained, unschooled” singer, to sing way up high in his register. Ron said that the track “was written in A, and by God it’ll be sung in A. … And no singer is gonna get in my way.” (It made me wonder what the inspiration behind “In My Family” was: In my family/ That’s how it’s gonna be.)
Don’t get it twisted, though: just because this album is dramatic, cinematic, even operatic, thatdoesn’t mean it takes itself seriously. Not even a little bit. “Amateur Hour” is about being bad at sex, and “Complaints” about an HR department head who goes off his rocker. “Talent Is An Asset” is a weirdo standout, written from the perspective of Albert Einstein’s extended family, begging him to remember them in his glory, while his mother pleads with them to Go away. And the finale “Lost And Found” is about finding a wallet and keeping it. It’s technically impressive, in the way that glam rock always is, of course — guitarist Adrian Fisher kicks heavy metal ass. But their tongues are also firmly in their cheeks.
After reviewing 475 albums, I’ve learned that most albums are primarily made up of love songs. That’s kind of true here, too, but of course it’s hard to write a straight love song when you’re hellbent on being a wiseass. So instead they write about dating their own doppelganger (“Falling In Love With Myself Again”), being given the runaround (“Equator”), and sleeping with a tour guide (“Hasta Mañana, Monsieur”). And I have no idea what “Barbecutie” is about, but you can bet it’s not serious. Two of the love songs, though, managed to be a little heartbreaking, despite their wiseassery. “Here In Heaven” is written from the perspective of a man who took part in a suicide pact, while his lover opted not to: Do I qualify as “dearly departed”?/ Or am I “that sucker in the sky”? And “Thank God It’s Not Christmas” is about being unable to bear being alone with your partner, instead spending all their free time partying, Trying very hard to sin. In another band’s hands, those concepts would be heartbreaking. But Sparks makes it just another joke.
This album broke Sparks out to commercial success, and has its die-hard fans, including Morrissey. But what I find interesting about its inclusion is the fact that it’s apparently not their magnum opus, at least not according to Wikipedia and several other sources I searched through. That would be their 2002 album Lil’ Beethoven, which is apparently a genre-bending masterpiece. I’m so curious as to why RS decided to snub it. Lucky for me, I’m only a month away from being FREE from RS’s list — so maybe that will be the first album I pick up.
Fun Fact: The women on the cover are Japanese actresses Michi Hirota and Kuniko Okamura. Hirota would later go on to sing on David Bowie’s “It’s No Game” off of Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps). Wild!
