[Mael-list] record collector review - sorry if this has already been posted

[popshifter]

To get the taste of NeonBuzz out of your mouths. . .



Mouthwateringly Mael, satisfyingly Sparksian

To someone who dubbed Sparks "musical Marmite" in RC in 2002, Exotic
Creatures Of The Deep is another fine example of their crowd-splitting
showmanship. As always, a 21st Century Sparks album seems to come
after another Mael-aping star pops up. We've had the Scissors and
Franz already, now we have Mika doing a great Russell to mass acclaim.
Sparks' 21st record shows the youngsters how it is done.

We can now whisper that 2005's Hello Young Lovers wasn't as good as we
first thought. Aside from some career best-equalling material, the
layers of repetition got a bit much in places. Exotic Creatures Of The
Deep has something the last two albums haven't had: genuine pop
singles. The buoyant Good Morning and the rocking and wry Lighten Up
Morrissey would both make the old-fashioned Top 20. It's a trifle
long, and to these Sparks-loving ears, The Director Never Yelled "Cut"
and (She Got Me) Pregnant could easily have been omitted, but the glam
of I Can't Believe That You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song
and Ron's wordplay on This Is The Renaissance demonstrate, once again,
that for a veteran band (a description they would surely detest)
moving forward, they are simply without equal.

>From Record Collector, reviewed by Daryl Easlea (Four Stars)
http://www.recordcollectormag.com/reviews/review-detail/2496


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