Sparks, brothers Ron and Russell Mael, release ‘My Devotion‘, the latest single from their upcoming album, MAD!, out May 23rd via Transgressive Records. Following the “tightly-packaged breakup pop song” (Consequence) ‘Drowned In A Sea Of Tears‘, ‘My Devotion’ is a piece of steady, stately chamber pop for synthesizers, featuring suitably hymnal multi-tracked vocals. The song takes a wry and timely look at performative adoration in the era of hyper-nationalism and obsessive fandom, whether to a nation, religion, brand (“Your country, god or flag… Your Harley, or your Jag”) or even a sports team (“Maybe you love football, though I’m puzzled why you would…”).
Very few artists have had as much influence on decades of popular music as Sparks, brothers Ron and Russell Mael, as the duo moved from the glam-rock of 1974’s hit record Kimono My House, to the Giorgio Moroder-produced electronic disco of 1979’s No.1 In Heaven, to the sampler opera of 2002’s Lil’ Beethoven. Sparks has been episodic and unpredictable in a way only Sparks could be, and that journey continues with their 28th studio album, MAD!.
MAD! finds Ron and Russell examining cultural phenomena such as branded backpacks, tattoos and the hegemony of banter. The satire is never on-the-nose, always retaining enough ambiguity for the listener to fill in the blanks. The exquisitely unusual lexicon and cultural references leap out on every listen.
Musically there are nods to new wave, synthpop, art rock and electronic opera – all genres Sparks had hands in pioneering or straight up invented. Ultimately, however, MAD! is a modern record that belongs in and speaks to the modern world, which is all the more remarkable when you consider the vintage of its creators.
This summer and autumn Sparks will be touring Japan, UK, Europe and North America with tickets now available here. Sparks will also join actor, presenter, and comedian Rob Brydon in conversation for An Entirely MAD! Conversation Between Rob Brydon and Sparks! at the Union Chapel, Islington in London on May 25th. Presented by Rough Trade Shops and Transgressive Records, tickets for the event include a physical copy of the album on CD, cassette or vinyl. Tickets are on sale now from here.
From May 20 record stores around the UK and Europe will be holding Listening Parties where fans will be able to hear the album ahead of its release. Entry includes access to pre-order an exclusive white label vinyl and goodies. Details of participating stores will be added here: https://transgressive.lnk.to/madlisteningparties.
Further information on MAD! and background on Sparks is available here.
Watch the Video for ‘Drowned In A Sea Of Tears‘
Watch the video for ‘Do Things My Own Way‘
MAD! Tour Dates:
Sun. June 8 – Kyoto, JP @ ROHM Theatre
Tue. June 10 – Osaka, JP @ Zepp Namba
Thu. June 12 – Fri. June 13 – Tokyo, JP @ EX Theater
Wed. June 18 – Thu. June 19 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
Sat. June 21 – Sun. June 22 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
Tue. June 24 – Glasgow, UK @ Royal Concert Hall [SOLD OUT]
Thu. June 26 – Haarlem, NL @ PHIL Haarlem
Sat. June 28 – Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal
Mon. June 30 – Paris, FR @ La Salle Pleyel
Tue. July 1 – Cologne, DE @ Live Music Hall
Thu. July 3 – Copenhagen, DK @ The Koncerthuset
Fri. July 4 – Stockholm, SE @ Grona Lund Tivoli
Sun. July 6 – Berlin, DE @ Uber Eats
Tue. July 8 – Milan, IT @ Teatro degli Arcimboldi
Sat. July 12 – Bilbao, ES @ Bilbao BBK
Tue. July 15 – Dublin, IE @ National Stadium
Wed. July 16 – Dublin, IE @ National Stadium
Fri. July 18 – Edinburgh, UK @ Edinburgh Playhouse
Sat. July 19 – Wolverhampton, UK @ The Halls
Fri. Sept. 5 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
Mon. Sept. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Keswick Theatre
Tue. Sept. 9 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre
Thu. Sept. 11 – Boston, MA @ Berklee Performance Center
Fri. Sept. 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
Sun. Sept. 14 – Columbus, OH @ The Athenaeum Theatre
Mon. Sept. 15 – Cleveland, OH @ TempleLive at Cleveland Masonic
Wed. Sept. 17 – Toronto, On @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Fri. Sept. 19 – Sun. Sept. 21 – Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest
Sat. Sept. 20 – St. Paul, MN @ Fitzgerald Theater
Tue. Sept. 23 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
Wed. Sept. 24 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
Fri. Sept. 26 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
Sat. Sept. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Golden Gate Theatre
Mon. Sept. 29 – El Cajon, CA @ The Magnolia
Tue. Sept. 30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre
Sparks Online:
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