SPACEMEN 3 Forged Prescriptions (Space Age Recordings) 2cd 18.98
This is my second favorite Spacemen 3 record, second only to the breathtaking Playing With Fire (which we just listed last time and is still in stock). But the more I listen to this, the more it inches closer and closer. It follows the same sonic path as Playing With Fire, with shimmery, hazy, druggy garage rock drone scapes and occasional squalls of fuzzed out buzz-saw riffs, and while it lacks some of the dreamy summery ambience of PWF, it makes up for it in gritty urgency and bleary, cloudy atmosphere. Some of these songs appear elsewhere, but these are the definitive versions, the way the band had always intended them to sound, adding layers and layers of guitars that were impossible to replicate live. This double disc reissue collects demo versions covers, and previously unreleased songs, all of them amazing. From the opening track 'Things'll Never Be The Same', a blast of thick Stooges-y sludge, to the Velvets-esque 'Walking With Jesus', a fuzzy, sun-spangled, lo-fi drone-y ramble, all shimmery strum and sing-songy vocals, to the bluesy swagger of 'Come Down Easy' sounding like Delta blues broadcast from outer space and dipped in LSD, this stuff is all so good. Yet another band that allows a straight edge goodie-two-shoes like me to dabble in dark and dangerous, dreamy and druggy excess!
MPEG Stream: "Walking With Jesus"
MPEG Stream: "Come Down Easy (Demo Version)"
MPEG Stream: "Things'll Never Be The Same"

SPACEMEN 3 Performance (Fire Records) cd 15.98
Nice, now we have these essential albums available on cd too!
Performance was released to fulfill contractual obligations with Glass Records, sort of an easy solution before moving on to bigger things. Still, it comes completely recommended, as it captures Spacemen 3 in a live setting on the Perfect Prescription tour, and there's no reason to complain about that. Apparently they weren't exactly pleased with this particular set, and the drums are surprisingly low in the mix, but they tear things up just as you would expect, with the molten guitars taking over everything everywhere. Recorded in 1988 in a setting one could imagine the band being quite comfortable in - Amsterdam - Performance is a fiery run through some early classics, and it will no doubt give you further insight into Spacemen 3's revolutionary approach. Goddamn, there sure aren't any bands like this these days.
MPEG Stream: "Mary Anne"
MPEG Stream: "Take Me To The Other Side"
MPEG Stream: "Starship"

SPACEMEN 3 Performance (Fire Records) lp 16.98
It took over a month, but these hotcakes are finally repressed and back in stock!!
Hmm. There's no point in really "reviewing" Spacemen 3 records at this point. They're surely one of the top 10 greatest bands to ever exist and even with their influence touching so many bands everywhere, no one - NO ONE - sounds like Spacemen 3. They just got it in ways other bands couldn't. Simple as that. It sure is great to have the band's Glass Records output, their first three full lengths, available on vinyl (some nice 180 gram vinyl to boot) for the first time in God knows how long. They look amazing in their heavy duty sleeves, and after years of absorbing every molecule of the shitty looking Taang Records cd versions, seeing these records as they were initially presented puts things into perspective even more. They just look so classic, so timeless, and so many years later, it makes perfect sense why we felt like we uncovered some secret portal when we discovered this band. Any song they ever did is the perfect soundtrack to any moment of any or every day.
Performance was released to fulfill contractual obligations with Glass, sort of an easy solution before moving on to bigger things. Still, it comes completely recommended, as it captures Spacemen 3 in a live setting on the Perfect Prescription tour, and there's no reason to complain about that. Apparently they weren't exactly pleased with this particular set, and the drums are surprisingly low in the mix, but they tear things up just as you would expect, with the molten guitars taking over everything everywhere. Recorded in 1988 in a setting one could imagine the band being quite comfortable in - Amsterdam - Performance is a fiery run through some early classics, and it will no doubt give you further insight into Spacemen 3's revolutionary approach. Goddamn, there sure aren't any bands like this these days.
MPEG Stream: "Mary Anne"
MPEG Stream: "Take Me To The Other Side"
MPEG Stream: "Starship"

SPACEMEN 3 Playing With Fire (Space Age Recordings) 2cd 17.98
Andee sez: This is the best Spacemen Three record ever, hands down. Period. As much as I love the garage-y fuzz rock of their early records, Playing With Fire is where their hypno-drone tendencies were finally fully realised. It's like classic Spacemen Three, but filtered through that Galaxie 500 summer-sun-space-reverb. All shimmer and throb, oscillating into the ether. This record is what sunspots on a lazy, humid afternoon would sound like. Or you know when you look out over the highway on a hot day, and the air is all warbly and distorted. This record is what I imagine that wavy, shimmering air sounds like. Gently plucked melodies over langorous, lazy riffs, underpinned by processed, delayed guitars that are bundled into reverberent pulses that spread out lazily, like sonic ripples. So absolutely, perfectly gorgeous. Occasionally, the tranquility is briefly upended by squalls of wooly fuzz and propulsive garagerock riffs, but things quickly smooth out and the musical narcotics begin to flow again and you drift right back off..... Comes with an extra disc of demos and alternate mixes!
MPEG Stream: "How Does It Feel?"
MPEG Stream: "I Believe It"
MPEG Stream: "Revolution"

SPACEMEN 3 Recurring (Space Age Recordings) cd 14.98

SPACEMEN 3 s/t (Threebie 3) (Space Age Recordings) cd 11.98
It's funny, there are so many Spacemen 3 records, but ultimately it seems like they only had maybe 10 songs, and every record just featured different versions of the same songs, edits, extended mixes, demos. But they sound so good it almost didn't matter! As it is, most Spacemen 3 songs are so blissfully buzzy and hypnotic that I kind of wish they would go on forever. So maybe they do. Sort of. This ep was originally available only via mail with a coupon from their Playing With Fire record. Recorded live in Amsterdam in 1989, this is PRIME Spacemen 3. Walls of thick guitar, sun dappled and effevescent, sheets of feedback, and that unmistakable, throbbing pulse, that makes all Spacemen 3 tracks lull you into a druggy psychedelic trance. So good.
MPEG Stream: "Suicide (live)"
MPEG Stream: "Revolution (live)"

SPACEMEN 3 Sound of Confusion (Fire Records) cd 15.98
Nice, now we have these essential albums available on cd too!
Sound Of Confusion was the band's first statement after building up a repertoire for a few years. It's their most aggressive record and even though the future was full of surprises, it is the album that set the template for how most people will describe Spacemen 3: loud droning guitars, a minimal but intensely psychedelic approach that is almost violent in its focus, and of course, an inseparable cloak of drugginess. Lyrically, you just can't fuck with songs like "Losing Touch With My Mind" and their mindblowing cover of Juicy Lucy's "Just One Time", retitled as "Mary Anne". The album contains three originals, and three amazing covers that manage to become originals, and a sort of original/cover hybrid. Everything Spacemen 3 did is worth your time, they're definitely an appropriate band to get obsessed with, so why not start at the beginning?
MPEG Stream: "Losing Touch With My Mind"
MPEG Stream: "Hey Man"
MPEG Stream: "Mary Anne"

SPACEMEN 3 Sound Of Confusion (Fire Records) lp 17.98
It took over a month, but these hotcakes are finally repressed and back in stock!!
Hmm. There's no point in really "reviewing" Spacemen 3 records at this point. They're surely one of the top 10 greatest bands to ever exist and even with their influence touching so many bands everywhere, no one - NO ONE - sounds like Spacemen 3. They just got it in ways other bands couldn't. Simple as that. It sure is great to have the band's Glass Records output, their first three full lengths, available on vinyl (some nice 180 gram vinyl to boot) for the first time in God knows how long. They look amazing in their heavy duty sleeves, and after years of absorbing every molecule of the shitty looking Taang Records cd versions, seeing these records as they were initially presented puts things into perspective even more. They just look so classic, so timeless, and so many years later, it makes perfect sense why we felt like we uncovered some secret portal when we discovered this band. Any song they ever did is the perfect soundtrack to any moment of any or every day.
Sound Of Confusion was the band's first statement after building up a repertoire for a few years. It's their most aggressive record and even though the future was full of surprises, it is the album that set the template for how most people will describe Spacemen 3: loud droning guitars, a minimal but intensely psychedelic approach that is almost violent in its focus, and of course, an inseparable cloak of drugginess. Lyrically, you just can't fuck with songs like "Losing Touch With My Mind" and their mindblowing cover of Juicy Lucy's "Just One Time", retitled as "Mary Anne". The album contains three originals, and three amazing covers that manage to become originals, and a sort of original/cover hybrid. Everything Spacemen 3 did is worth your time, they're definitely an appropriate band to get obsessed with, so why not start at the beginning?
MPEG Stream: "Losing Touch With My Mind"
MPEG Stream: "Hey Man"
MPEG Stream: "Mary Anne"

SPACEMEN 3 Starship (Live) (Space Age Recordings) cd 15.98
Four live tracks recorded in Melkweg, Amsterdam (6/2/88) -- Starship, Revolution, Suicide & Repeater -- and one studio track -- Live Intro Theme (XTACY) -- recorded in 1988.

SPACEMEN 3 Take Me To The Other Side (Fire) 12" 13.98
The Spacemen 3 vinyl reissue campaign continues, with the Glass Records eps now getting their due. Considering the amount of repetition in this band's catalog, many may be asking themselves whether or not they need another record with the same songs on it, and it may come down to just how obsessed you are... wait, scratch that, OF COURSE YOU NEED IT! It's awesome to have these eps available to us again individually (having been previously compiled together on cd via Taang! Records, and who knows, probably by someone else as well) because it lets you really get into the drugged out mindset of the band. Listening to these as they were intended, you can get a better idea of how Spacemen 3 established themes within their music. Rather than release mere 7" singles, they instead developed and reinterpreted certain songs on the 12" format. Which makes sense, as the band was certainly in no rush to adhere to 3 minute pop songs if they weren't up to it. In fact, calling these "eps" is a little misleading, as the boys stretch things out to album lengths.
Take Me To The Other Side was the companion ep to the band's mighty - nay, GODLY - Perfect Prescription lp. In other words, this ep represents the band at the height of their unified powers, and the title song itself (taking up side 1 at 45 rpm; side 2 goes at 33) is no doubt one of their strongest pieces. Kicking off the second side is "Soul 1", a slow burning soul-inspired (duh) number with blaring, sleepy horns given the Spacemen 3 treatment, followed by "That's Just Fine", which has appeared tacked onto various editions of the Perfect Prescription. No matter how you weigh it, it's awesome having the bulk of the Spacemen 3 discography available as these handsome vinyl reissues. Playing this stuff alongside so much of what we carry, it's obvious that this band has seeped into underground consciousness like the legends they were always destined to become. But you know what? There's only one Spacemen 3.

SPACEMEN 3 Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To (Space Age Recordings) cd 15.98
Thought we'd better get around to listing this, since it was finally reissued domestically at a much cheaper price! "Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To" is one of the best album titles ever, and at least for the heavy pharmaceutical users in Spacemen 3, it's certainly a fitting one. Recorded in the winter of 1985 / 86, the album is actually the most rock of all of the Spacemen 3 albums as their 13th Floor Elevators buzz meets the intensity of early Stooges. Sonic Boom and Jason Pierce felt that the versions of the songs found on "Taking Drugs" were better than those on the subsequent albums. And that may just be true! Easily one of the best and most important documents of eighties space-psych!
MPEG Stream: "The Sound Of Confusion"
MPEG Stream: "Losing Touch With My Mind"

SPACEMEN 3 The Perfect Prescription (Fire Records) cd 15.98
Nice, now we have these essential albums available on cd too!
For some people, it's Playing With Fire. For others, probably most, it's The Perfect Prescription, Spacemen 3's ultimate statement and the record where everything was working together in absolute harmony. The record cover itself seems to completely capture the essence of Spacemen 3, with Sonic Boom and Jason Pierce holding their guitars, eyes closed, no doubt concentrating deeply on the contents of their minds. It seems fair to call this their pinnacle, as things would become increasingly more split between the group's mainmen from this point on. The Perfect Prescription is one of those rare albums that is completely beyond criticism. Don't even try. Beginning in classic Spacemen 3 style with "Take Me To The Other Side", the album subsequently incorporates a wide array of influences and styles, from soul to gospel to country, making it clear that, even though they did it better than anyone else, there was far more to this band than just walls of fuzzed out drones. Even with this diversity, everything on the album belongs to Spacemen 3 - especially their cover of the Red Crayola's "Transparent Radiation" - and they were able to harness all their powers into something which is, yeah, pretty fuckin' definitive. We could go on forever, but we won't.
MPEG Stream: "Take Me To The Other Side"
MPEG Stream: "Walkin' With Jesus"
MPEG Stream: "Feel So Good"

SPACEMEN 3 The Perfect Prescription (Fire Records) lp 16.98
It took over a month, but these hotcakes are finally repressed and back in stock!!
Hmm. There's no point in really "reviewing" Spacemen 3 records at this point. They're surely one of the top 10 greatest bands to ever exist and even with their influence touching so many bands everywhere, no one - NO ONE - sounds like Spacemen 3. They just got it in ways other bands couldn't. Simple as that. It sure is great to have the band's Glass Records output, their first three full lengths, available on vinyl (some nice 180 gram vinyl to boot) for the first time in God knows how long. They look amazing in their heavy duty sleeves, and after years of absorbing every molecule of the shitty looking Taang Records cd versions, seeing these records as they were initially presented puts things into perspective even more. They just look so classic, so timeless, and so many years later, it makes perfect sense why we felt like we uncovered some secret portal when we discovered this band. Any song they ever did is the perfect soundtrack to any moment of any or every day.
For some people, it's Playing With Fire. For others, probably most, it's The Perfect Prescription, Spacemen 3's ultimate statement and the record where everything was working together in absolute harmony. The record cover itself seems to completely capture the essence of Spacemen 3, with Sonic Boom and Jason Pierce holding their guitars, eyes closed, no doubt concentrating deeply on the contents of their minds. It seems fair to call this their pinnacle, as things would become increasingly more split between the group's mainmen from this point on. The Perfect Prescription is one of those rare albums that is completely beyond criticism. Don't even try. Beginning in classic Spacemen 3 style with "Take Me To The Other Side", the album subsequently incorporates a wide array of influences and styles, from soul to gospel to country, making it clear that, even though they did it better than anyone else, there was far more to this band than just walls of fuzzed out drones. Even with this diversity, everything on the album belongs to Spacemen 3 - especially their cover of the Red Crayola's "Transparent Radiation" - and they were able to harness all their powers into something which is, yeah, pretty fuckin' definitive. We could go on forever, but we won't.
MPEG Stream: "Take Me To The Other Side"
MPEG Stream: "Walkin' With Jesus"
MPEG Stream: "Feel So Good"

SPACEMEN 3 Translucent Flashbacks: The Glass Singles (Fire) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Amongst the dozens of records that Spacemen 3 have released, the group never had a huge repertoire of neo-psychedelic / post-punk songs that they recorded. Instead, they preferred to rework the same dozen or so songs as increasingly diffuse, droning, and drugged out versions. Thus by the time the three members split for Spectrum, Spiritualized, and Alphastone, Spacemen 3 had completely abolished the song structure in favor of the drone supreme. "Translucent Flashbacks" hadn't quite yet gotten entirely to that point in Spacemen 3's career, but they were getting close on a couple of the tracks, especially on their 17 minute cover of the 13th Floor Elevators' "Rollercoaster." This may not be the best version of "Rollercoaster" (which undoubtably is found on "Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To"), but Spacemen 3's versions were for the most part better than the original. That version of "Rollercoaster" plus more renditions of "Walkin' With Jesus,""Feel So Good,""Take Me To The Other Side," 2 versions of "Transparent Radiation" and a few other Spacemen 3 goodies pop up on this collection of mid-'80s singles originally appearing on Glass Records. This collection ranks up there with the aforementioned "Taking Drugs..." and "Playing With Fire" as some of Spacemen 3's finer moments.
RealAudio clip: "Rollercoaster"
RealAudio clip: "Transparent Radiation"

SPACEMEN 3 Transparent Radiation (Fire) 12" 13.98
The Spacemen 3 vinyl reissue campaign continues, with the Glass Records eps now getting their due . Considering the amount of repetition in this band's catalog, many may be asking themselves whether or not they need another record with the same songs on it, and it may come down to just how obsessed you are... wait, scratch that, OF COURSE YOU NEED IT! It's awesome to have these eps available to us again individually (having been previously compiled together on cd via Taang! Records, and who knows, probably by someone else as well) because it lets you really get into the drugged out mindset of the band. Listening to these as they were intended, you can get a better idea of how Spacemen 3 established themes within their music. Rather than release mere 7" singles, they instead developed and reinterpreted certain songs on the 12" format. Which makes sense, as the band was certainly in no rush to adhere to 3 minute pop songs if they weren't up to it. In fact, calling these "eps" is a little misleading, as the boys stretch things out to album lengths.
Transparent Radiation (last seen going for $600) is undoubtedly one of Spacemen 3's finest moments. Originally a herky jerky outsider jam by legendary Austin weirdos the Red Crayola, in the hands of Sonic and Jason the song became something undeniably greater, reaching unsurpassed heights of spiritually drugged out grandeur. If nothing else, the song is testament to the power of the electric guitar and human voice. And best of all, two versions of the song are included here, the first featuring the two singers sharing a ragged vocal harmony that sounds, well, like a couple guys trippin on some heavy shit but still holding things down like the experts they are. Next up is the complete version of "Ecstasy Symphony", which couldn't be more hypnotic with its strobing organ pulling you in deeper. No wonder they used this as their live intro. Following this is the definitive version of "Transparent Radiation" (appropriately enough, the "Flashback" version) which is so good we won't even bother trying to explain it.
Side 2 opens with the snarling "Things'll Never Be The Same", presented in complete unedited form, before going into a triumphant take on the Sun Ra / MC5 jam of "Starship", ending the record on a perfect note. Fuck yeah.

SPACEMEN 3 Walkin' With Jesus (Fire) 12" 13.98
The Spacemen 3 vinyl reissue campaign continues, with the Glass Records eps now getting their due . Considering the amount of repetition in this band's catalog, many may be asking themselves whether or not they need another record with the same songs on it, and it may come down to just how obsessed you are... wait, scratch that, OF COURSE YOU NEED IT! It's awesome to have these eps available to us again individually (having been previously compiled together on cd via Taang! Records, and who knows, probably by someone else as well) because it lets you really get into the drugged out mindset of the band. Listening to these as they were intended, you can get a better idea of how Spacemen 3 established themes within their music. Rather than release mere 7" singles, they instead developed and reinterpreted certain songs on the 12" format. Which makes sense, as the band was certainly in no rush to adhere to 3 minute pop songs if they weren't up to it. In fact, calling these "eps" is a little misleading, as the boys stretch things out to album lengths.
The Walkin' With Jesus ep kicks off with the song of the same name, which itself was an early title for the song "Sound Of Confusion", off the... uh... Sound Of Confusion ALBUM. Confusion, as we all know, being an integral part of the Spacemen 3 discography. Perhaps the most striking number here is the band's insane cover of the 13th Floor Elevators' famous ode to tripping balls-as-philosophy, "Rollercoaster". While a version of this song also appeared on Sound Of Confusion, the band's dissatisfaction with that take spurred the idea of recording the song live and stretching it out to a monolithic 17 minutes. Gotta say, the 13th Floor Elevators are a band that most band's simply shouldn't/can't cover, but Spacemen 3 earned themselves a pass, for obvious reasons, and in the end they make the song their own. Amazing. After your mind tries to piece together what the fuck just happened for 17 minutes, the mellow "Feel So Good" takes you down nice and easy. Best band (of this sort) of the '80s, no question.

SPACEWURM See You Later Oscillator (Gravity) cd 6.98

SPACIN' Deep Thuds (Richie) lp 14.98
We'd been wanting to review this for ages, but the first pressing disappeared in a heartbeat. Which makes sense considering that this is the SECOND kick ass offshoot of Philly psych rock outfit Birds Of Maya - the first being the awesome Purling Hiss, whose Public Service Announcement record we made Record Of The Week back in 2010.
The weird thing is, for whatever reason, we were never that nuts for Birds Of Maya, but Purling Hiss totally blew us away, and Spacin' is doing the same, which has us thinking maybe it's time to revisit Birds. But for now, we can just revel in Spacin's debut, the awesomely titled Deep Thuds, and if you're already a fan of Purling Hiss, we have to say, you might as well stop reading right now and add this baby to your cart, cuz it's most definitely cut from the same sonic cloth, equal parts power pop, classic rock, Stooges-y swagger, hooky and fuzzy, hand claps, all tripped out and psychedelic.
The opener "Empty Mind" is a total classic old school garage punk jam. The Stooges vibe is HUGE, the drawled vox, and the T-Rex guitars, the woozy hooky chorus, the spidery psychedelic leads, the sound lo-fi but still rocking and fantastically fuzzed out. But then the second song "Some Future (Burger)", ditches songcraft entirely, instead weaving a lush landscape of murky mesmer, all heavily effected guitar drones, and looped melodies, total low fidelity kosmische trip out, which once again reminds us of Purling Hiss, and the way PH flits from pop to psych out and back again.
"Wrong Street" is total Yellow Pills style psychedelic power pop, the sound super distorted, but hooks galore, and more wild psych shreddery. "Chest Of Steel" is another lo-fi pop gem, which leads directly into the warped experimental "Oh Man", that is a weird melding of fuzzy psych groove, minimal krautrock, and hippie rock trip out, but it's awesome, totally hypnotic and spaced out and trance-y, the production giving it a sort of Ariel Pink / John Maus vibe.
There's one more short sharp pop jam before the final number "Ego-Go", which might be our favorite, a sprawling psychedelic groover, plenty poppy, but still droney and murky and minimal, sort of a power pop Velvets maybe, driven by some fierce guitaring, some rad psychedelic leads, and laced with plenty of thrum and jangle, with another warped production, that gives it the vibe of some lost live jam captured surreptitiously in some shitty dive bar, and dug out of some old dusty box 30 years later.
Probably our new favorite lo-fi psychedelic spaced out power pop / garage punk record, fuzzy, jangly, hooky as hell and one of those records we can't seem to stop listening to! And absolutely WAY recommended for everybody who bought any/all of the Purling Hiss records!!
MPEG Stream: "Empty Mind"
MPEG Stream: "Some Future (Burger)"
MPEG Stream: "Chest Of Steel"
MPEG Stream: "Ego-Go"

SPARHAWK, ALAN Solo Guitar (Silbermedia) cd 14.98

SPARKLEHORSE Distorted Ghost (Odeon) cd 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Three new songs from the amazing Mr. Linkous ("Waiting For Nothing," "Happy Place," & "My Yoke Is Heavy"), plus three live versions of songs off the first two albums.

SPARKLEHORSE Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain (Astralwerks / EMI) cd 16.98
Hard to believe it's been five years since we last heard from Mark Linkous and Sparklehorse. It seems like every record has involved some sort of struggle or personal tragedy. Linkous has had a seriously rough life, an accident that almost killed him, and which left him crippled for life, struggles with anxiety and depression, but the result of all that anguish is one of the most incredible bodies of work in modern music. Sparklehorse is sort of like the country rock Flaming Lips. Starting life out as a super scrappy rock band, and then discovering the joys of the studio, learning to use the studio like another instrument, creating an incredibly expansive sound palette, and eventually creating a unique world of unbelievably lush sounds, like a modern day Brian Wilson. And this record is no different. It's rich and dense and lush and sweet, the vocals, a plaintive heartstring pulling croon, guitars strum and shimmer, melodies drift, harmonies float and glisten, everything woven together into gorgeously perfect twang flecked pop. The vocals are multi tracked, doused in effects, swathed in reverb, guitar parts are simple and spare, the record is dotted with bits of strange digital glitch, or fuzzy record crackle. Some tracks are crystal clear, simple and straight forward, others are dense and dizzying, with strange edits, and extreme stereo panning, there are a few super fuzzed out rockers, but for the most part Dreamt For Light Years is a record of sun dappled divinity and sweetly melancholy drift. A gloriously and dreamily psychedelic excursion into the heart of darkness. So lovely.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Take My Sunshine Away"
MPEG Stream: "Getting It Wrong"
MPEG Stream: "It's Not So Hard"

SPARKLEHORSE Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain (Astralwerks / EMI) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hard to believe it's been five years since we last heard from Mark Linkous and Sparklehorse. It seems like every record has involved some sort of struggle or personal tragedy. Linkous has had a seriously rough life, an accident that almost killed him, and which left him crippled for life, struggles with anxiety and depression, but the result of all that anguish is one of the most incredible bodies of work in modern music. Sparklehorse is sort of like the country rock Flaming Lips. Starting life out as a super scrappy rock band, and then discovering the joys of the studio, learning to use the studio like another instrument, creating an incredibly expansive sound palette, and eventually creating a unique world of unbelievably lush sounds, like a modern day Brian Wilson. And this record is no different. It's rich and dense and lush and sweet, the vocals, a plaintive heartstring pulling croon, guitars strum and shimmer, melodies drift, harmonies float and glisten, everything woven together into gorgeously perfect twang flecked pop. The vocals are multi tracked, doused in effects, swathed in reverb, guitar parts are simple and spare, the record is dotted with bits of strange digital glitch, or fuzzy record crackle. Some tracks are crystal clear, simple and straight forward, others are dense and dizzying, with strange edits, and extreme stereo panning, there are a few super fuzzed out rockers, but for the most part Dreamt For Light Years is a record of sun dappled divinity and sweetly melancholy drift. A gloriously and dreamily psychedelic excursion into the heart of darkness. So lovely.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Take My Sunshine Away"
MPEG Stream: "Getting It Wrong"
MPEG Stream: "It's Not So Hard"

SPARKLEHORSE Dreamt For Light Years IN The Belly Of A Mountain (Plain Recordings) lp 19.98
This 2006 gem and longtime aQ fave gets the deluxe vinyl reissue treatment. R.I.P Mark Linkous.
Here's our review from way back then...
Hard to believe it's been five years since we last heard from Mark Linkous and Sparklehorse. It seems like every record has involved some sort of struggle or personal tragedy. Linkous has had a seriously rough life, an accident that almost killed him, and which left him crippled for life, struggles with anxiety and depression, but the result of all that anguish is one of the most incredible bodies of work in modern music. Sparklehorse is sort of like the country rock Flaming Lips. Starting life out as a super scrappy rock band, and then discovering the joys of the studio, learning to use the studio like another instrument, creating an incredibly expansive sound palette, and eventually creating a unique world of unbelievably lush sounds, like a modern day Brian Wilson. And this record is no different. It's rich and dense and lush and sweet, the vocals, a plaintive heartstring pulling croon, guitars strum and shimmer, melodies drift, harmonies float and glisten, everything woven together into gorgeously perfect twang flecked pop. The vocals are multi tracked, doused in effects, swathed in reverb, guitar parts are simple and spare, the record is dotted with bits of strange digital glitch, or fuzzy record crackle. Some tracks are crystal clear, simple and straight forward, others are dense and dizzying, with strange edits, and extreme stereo panning, there are a few super fuzzed out rockers, but for the most part Dreamt For Light Years is a record of sun dappled divinity and sweetly melancholy drift. A gloriously and dreamily psychedelic excursion into the heart of darkness. So lovely.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Take My Sunshine Away"
MPEG Stream: "Getting It Wrong"
MPEG Stream: "It's Not So Hard"

SPARKLEHORSE Good Morning Spider (Capitol) cd 16.98
Containing beautiful, heart wrenching, lush country-ish rock with meaty, satisfying guitars and lonely-guy vocals that will twist yer heartstrings, the new Sparklehorse record is MILES ahead of their No Depression contemporaries. If you like Vic Chestnut, Lambchop, Neutral Milk Hotel, Palace/Will Oldham/Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, or Windy's current favorites Wisdom of Harry, we strongly suggest that you give Sparklehorse a shot! An "enhanced' portion of the disc includes four pretty cool videos for yous with computers.

SPARKLEHORSE Good Morning Spider (Plain Recordings) lp 16.98
Originally released in 1998, and now available on vinyl again (and still available on cd), Good Morning Spider was record number 2 from the late Mark Linkous and band, following their debut, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. The interesting thing about GMS, is that it was a huge stylistic and sonic shift for the band, much more somber and introspective that its predecessor, in part, most assume, because just before the recording of GMS, Linkous overdosed in a London hotel room, collapsed and was clinically dead for several minutes, he also spent the next few months in a wheelchair after a surgery that threatened to keep him in that chair forever. But if that particular black cloud did indeed have a silver lining, it's the absolutely inspired, ultra personal, intimate and heart wrenching beauty that is Good Morning Spider. While the record still strikes a precarious balance between rambunctious rocking and more darkly balladic introspection, the scales seem to be tipping toward delicate crystalline beauty, dark, hushed, whispery, haunting and so lovely. But even the more rocking numbers are infused with some serious pathos, and of course plenty of melancholy and heartbreak.
The whole record is a marvel, gorgeously and idiosyncratically produced, lots of crackle, and buzz, and processed vocals, effected instrumentation, strings, lush twang flecked indie rock one second, dreamy about-to-collapse balladry the next, fragmented perfect pop the next. The record begins with the brief blast of "Pig", is a serious chunk of incendiary crunch, but so rife with impossibly hooky melodies, and some super dramatic layered vocals, not to mention plenty of twisted sounds and atmosphere. And then it's all dialed WAY down, "Painbirds" is a lilting bit of sweetly sorrowful shuffling slowcore, "Saint Mary" is a hushed bit of slo-mo Appalachian pop, Linkous' fragile vox drifting over a simple strum, but it is so much more than the sum of its parts. "Sick Of Goodbyes" is another more rocking track, but that rocking squall is brief, as the record shifts back into slow sorrowful drift.
One of our favorite tracks has to be "Chaos Of The Galaxy / Happy Man", which begins as a whirling FX flecked bit of organ warble, mysterious voices, ethereal and dreamlike, a brief intro to what sounds like bad radio reception, the song "Happy Man" struggling to be heard through the static and hiss, even cutting out completely at points, until finally kicking in, and it's such a perfect pop song, with an incredible hook, and some super intense vocals, and killer guitar playing, and then once again, the record slips back into darkness, and for the remainder of the record, slips seamlessly between angstful distorted jangly crunch and shimmery drifty introspection. So good.
Anyone who loves stuff like Vic Chestnutt, Lambchop, Neutral Milk Hotel, Palace/Will Oldham/Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Songs:Ohia and the like, who somehow missed out on Good Morning Spider, here's another chance...
Includes a digital download card!
MPEG Stream: "Pig"
MPEG Stream: "Painbirds"
MPEG Stream: "Sick Of Goodbyes"

SPARKLEHORSE It's a Wonderful Life (Capitol ) cd 16.98
Hooray! AQ all-time fave Mark Linkous returns at last with a brand new Sparklehorse album and we are happy to report that he, once again, does not disappoint. Mr. Linkous has that innate ability to write incredibly infectious pop songs with teeth -- never slipping into preciousness or saccharine artificiality -- and a multi-instrumental playfulness that harkens Tom Waits' works from the mid eighties. It should come as no surprise then that both Tom Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan collaborate on one track. They are also the only other names to appear as songwriting credits on the album. Also contributing to this album are Cardigans vocalist Nina Persson (singing backup on a few tracks), PJ Harvey (playing some guitar and singing lovely harmony vocals) and Harvey's bassist John Parish drops some bass licks along with throwing his weight around as a producer on a couple tracks.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Sparklehorse, Linkous' aesthetic weaves delicate, about-to-crack vocals, gently strummed guitars, and all sorts of bizarre studio trickery (a wonderful amalgamation of lo-fi home recording and ultra-lush top dollar multi-track wizardry) to make his records SOUND so great. But it's the songs that make the biggest impression. Whether it's a super distorted rollicking rocker, a barely-there ghost of a melody, or a heart wrenching country ballad, every song, at its core, is a perfect, perfect pop song. Catchy as hell, but not immediately -- more a sort of insidious, slowly spreading, like a virus beautiful, but beautifully miserable as well. And the lyrics too are practically perfect. Simple but astonishing in their depth. Clever and brutally soulful, without being melodramatic or overwrought.
RealAudio clip: "Piano Fire"
RealAudio clip: "More Yellow Birds"
RealAudio clip: "Comfort Me"
RealAudio clip: "Morning Hollow"

SPARKLEHORSE It's A Wonderful Life (Devil In The Woods / "Capital") lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally on lp! Here's what we said about the cd:
Hooray! AQ all-time fave Mark Linkous returns at last with a brand new Sparklehorse album and we are happy to report that he, once again, does not disappoint. Mr. Linkous has that innate ability to write incredibly infectious pop songs with teeth -- never slipping into preciousness or saccharine artificiality -- and a multi-instrumental playfulness that harkens Tom Waits' works from the mid eighties. It should come as no surprise then that both Tom Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan collaborate on one track. They are also the only other names to appear as songwriting credits on the album. Also contributing to this album are Cardigans vocalist Nina Persson (singing backup on a few tracks), PJ Harvey (playing some guitar and singing lovely harmony vocals) and Harvey's bassist John Parish drops some bass licks along with throwing his weight around as a producer on a couple tracks.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Sparklehorse, Linkous' aesthetic weaves delicate, about-to-crack vocals, gently strummed guitars, and all sorts of bizarre studio trickery (a wonderful amalgamation of lo-fi home recording and ultra-lush top dollar multi-track wizardry) to make his records SOUND so great. But it's the songs that make the biggest impression. Whether it's a super distorted rollicking rocker, a barely-there ghost of a melody, or a heart wrenching country ballad, every song, at its core, is a perfect, perfect pop song. Catchy as hell, but not immediately -- more a sort of insidious, slowly spreading, like a virus beautiful, but beautifully miserable as well. And the lyrics too are practically perfect. Simple but astonishing in their depth. Clever and brutally soulful, without being melodramatic or overwrought.

SPARKLEHORSE It's A Wonderful Life (Plain Recordings) lp 19.98
This 2001 gem and longtime aQ fave gets the deluxe vinyl reissue treatment. Hard to believe it's been more than a decade since It's A Wonderful Life was first released. R.I.P Mark Linkous.
Here's our review from way back then...
Hooray! aQ all-time fave Mark Linkous returns with a brand new Sparklehorse album and we are happy to report that he, once again, does not disappoint. Mr. Linkous has that innate ability to write incredibly infectious pop songs with teeth - never slipping into preciousness or saccharine artificiality - and a multi-instrumental playfulness that harkens Tom Waits' works from the mid eighties. It should come as no surprise then that both Tom Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan collaborate on one track. Also contributing to this album are Cardigans vocalist Nina Persson (singing backup on a few tracks), PJ Harvey (playing some guitar and singing lovely harmony vocals) and Harvey's bassist John Parish drops some bass licks and throws his weight around as a producer on a couple tracks.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Sparklehorse, Linkous' aesthetic weaves delicate, about-to-crack vocals, gently strummed guitars, and all sorts of bizarre studio trickery (a wonderful amalgamation of lo-fi home recording and ultra-lush top dollar multi-track wizardry) to make his records SOUND so great. But it's the songs that make the biggest impression. Whether it's a super distorted rollicking rocker, a barely-there ghost of a melody, or a heart wrenching country ballad, every song, at its core, is a perfect, perfect pop song. Catchy as hell, but not immediately - more sort of insidious, slowly spreading, like a virus beautiful, but beautifully miserable as well. And the lyrics too are practically perfect. Simple but astonishing in their depth. Clever and brutally soulful, without being melodramatic or overwrought.
MPEG Stream: "Gold Day"
MPEG Stream: "Piano Fire"
MPEG Stream: "King Of Nails"

SPARKLEHORSE Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot (Capitol) cd 16.98
The record that started it all. 'It' in this case being our neverending, undying love for Mark Linkous and the desperately beautiful Sparklehorse.
This is Sparklehorse's first album, finally available again on cd after being shamefully out of print for way too long. Certainly a must for anyone who's got both Good Morning Spider and It's A Wonderful Life, but also a great place to start for those who've yet to discover the wonderful musical realm of Mark Linkous. From the slow singing-right-in-your-ear intimate "Spirit Ditch" to the rockin' summer sing-a-long "Rainmaker" to the sort-of-hit "Someday I will Treat You Good", each tune that Linkous writes is a gem: lush ballads, twangy 'No Depression' pop and experimental musical miniatures. Though at times comparisons to Camper Van Beethoven sans art school pretensions are fitting, fans of Uncle Tupelo, Palace, Vic Chesnutt, Lambchop, Wisdom of Harry and great pop in general should all take heed and check out Sparklehorse. You won't be sorry.
RealAudio clip: "Rainmaker"
RealAudio clip: "Cow"
RealAudio clip: "Sad & Beautiful World"

SPARKLEHORSE Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot (Plain Recordings) lp + 7" 16.98
Last list we reviewed album number two from spacey folky indie rock outfit Sparklehorse, the amazing Good Morning Spider, recently reissued on vinyl, so this week, we're jumping back a few years to their incredible debut, 1995's tongue twisting Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, which even now, 16 years later, sounds as good as it did the first time we heard it. Everything we wanted indie rock to be, this was it, jangly and crunchy and fuzzy, hushed and delicate and intimate, the songs striking the perfect balance between slow singing-right-in-your-ear intimacy, rockin' summer sing-a-longs, lush ballads, twangy 'No Depression' pop and experimental musical miniatures, all infused with impossible catchiness, heart wrenching vulnerability, all just desperately beautiful.
From the delicate, wistful opener "Homecoming Queen", the mood is set, the vocals, hushed and about to crack, the music, spare and simple, but strangely lush at the same time, and in headphones, you can hear all sorts of strange barely there sonic weirdness in the background, the whole record is like that, one thing on the surface, with a whole other world just beneath.
"Weird Sisters" brings in the drums, the jangly guitar, but it's still dark, a little dour, but so catchy and hooky, and heartfelt. The whole record is just one perfect chunk of indie pop after another, "Rainmaker" is a crunchy chunk of twangy fuzz pop, with strangely effected vocals and big pounding drums, "Spirit Ditch" is another crystalline bit of strummy folky shimmer, the vocals crooned right into your ear. And so it goes, the record shifting easily between soft focus ballads and rollicking blasts of crunchy fuzzy pop, "Hammering The Cramps" with its pulsing guitars, and irresistible chorus, "Most Beautiful Widow In Town" a spare bit of breathtaking countryish strum, "Heart Of Darkness" is another dreamy bit of gauzy twang flecked soft pop, wreathed in warm slippery lap steel, and still more gorgeous vocals, then of course there's THE HIT, which was a hit for a reason, it kills, heavy, crunchy, jangly, big distorted guitars, awesome melodies, a crazy catchy main hook, dark and intense and moody, but totally rocking, with a chorus that will lodge in your head like crazy, and of course the production is strange and layered and only makes the song so much more than just a blast of kick ass indie rock.
The whole album is rife with sad, beautiful, weird moments of spacey rural folk-rock, dreamy arrangements, distorted vocals, and slivers of feedback which all add to Sparklehorse's down-to-earth melancholy and make Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot spontaneous, happy, sad, noisy, and quiet; like moments in life.
Like Good Morning Spider, absolutely essential for fans of Uncle Tupelo, Palace Brothers, Vic Chesnutt, Lambchop, Songs:Ohia, the Jayhawks, Neutral Milk Hotel and great pop in general.
This vinyl reissue includes a bonus 7-inch containing two bonus tracks: "Waiting For Nothing" and "Happy Place," plus a download card of the entire album.
MPEG Stream: "Homecoming Queen"
MPEG Stream: "Spirit Ditch"
MPEG Stream: "Hammering The Cramps"
MPEG Stream: "Heart Of Darkness"
MPEG Stream: "Someday I Will Treat You Good"

SPARKLEHORSE + FENNESZ In The Fishtank 15 (Konkurrent) cd 14.98
It seems like such a perfect match up, such a great idea, it's a wonder it didn't happen sooner. The gauzy murky dream folk of Sparklehorse, and the fuzzy pixelated hazescapes of Christian Fennesz, just imagine how great they would sound together, and you'd be right. Sparklehorse records already sound like they were produced by Fennesz, so if anything, this collaboration just pushes the sound even further. Apparently it was Fennesz' idea to get together with Mark Linkous aka Sparklehorse for an In The Fishtank session, a long running series that pairs likeminded musicians, gives them two days in a studio together and releases the result. And we have to say, as much as we love many of the Fishtank releases, this one might just be our favorite yet. And how could it not be, the whole session is a series of washed out melodies and barely there song fragments, of hushed dream pop, and spaced out chamber ambience, of drifting dronescapes and haunting cinematic shimmer.
Because the two conjure up such similar sonics, it's hard really to pick out who's doing what here, but that's not the point, the two meld into one, creating a gorgeous organic whole, softened notes, distant melodies, lush layered mysteries, guitars unwind lazily, Linkous' vocals are plaintive and keening, always on the verge of cracking, made even more poignant as they are suspended in clouds of minor key blur, and squalls of softly pixelated sound. Throw some headphones on, and suddenly it's like looking at this fuzzy ambient pop through a microscope, the vocals are looped and chopped and layered and turned inside out, not audible on the stereo, but up close, a kaleidoscope of colors and textures.
All of those bands who try to do that 'regular old pop made special by adding a little electronic glitch' need to bow down before these masters. Two days together and they're able to create something magical, that yes is a blend of folk and rock and electronics, but it's so much more, every facet is linked to every other, all of the elements are inexorably linked, seeping into the sounds around them, bleeding into each other, it's not just a pop song dipped in some computery glitch, the glitch here and the digital element is subtle and lush and as organic as any of the guitars or voices.
A few of the tracks get noisy and thick and corrosive and almost explosive here and there, but even then, that crunch and buzz is underpinned by swirling melodies, and lush hushed drones.
Such a beautiful beautiful record, hard to believe it was conjured up in only a matter of days. It makes us almost wish these two keep making music together, imagine what they could come up with given a week? A month? A year? Here's hoping...
MPEG Stream: "Music Box Of Snakes"
MPEG Stream: "Goodnight Sweetheart"
MPEG Stream: "If My Heart"

SPARKLEHORSE + FENNESZ In The Fishtank 15 (Konkurrent) lp 15.98
NOW ON VINYL!!
It seems like such a perfect match up, such a great idea, it's a wonder it didn't happen sooner. The gauzy murky dream folk of Sparklehorse, and the fuzzy pixelated hazescapes of Christian Fennesz, just imagine how great they would sound together, and you'd be right. Sparklehorse records already sound like they were produced by Fennesz, so if anything, this collaboration just pushes the sound even further. Apparently it was Fennesz' idea to get together with Mark Linkous aka Sparklehorse for an In The Fishtank session, a long running series that pairs likeminded musicians, gives them two days in a studio together and releases the result. And we have to say, as much as we love many of the Fishtank releases, this one might just be our favorite yet. And how could it not be, the whole session is a series of washed out melodies and barely there song fragments, of hushed dream pop, and spaced out chamber ambience, of drifting dronescapes and haunting cinematic shimmer.
Because the two conjure up such similar sonics, it's hard really to pick out who's doing what here, but that's not the point, the two meld into one, creating a gorgeous organic whole, softened notes, distant melodies, lush layered mysteries, guitars unwind lazily, Linkous' vocals are plaintive and keening, always on the verge of cracking, made even more poignant as they are suspended in clouds of minor key blur, and squalls of softly pixelated sound. Throw some headphones on, and suddenly it's like looking at this fuzzy ambient pop through a microscope, the vocals are looped and chopped and layered and turned inside out, not audible on the stereo, but up close, a kaleidoscope of colors and textures.
All of those bands who try to do that 'regular old pop made special by adding a little electronic glitch' need to bow down before these masters. Two days together and they're able to create something magical, that yes is a blend of folk and rock and electronics, but it's so much more, every facet is linked to every other, all of the elements are inexorably linked, seeping into the sounds around them, bleeding into each other, it's not just a pop song dipped in some computery glitch, the glitch here and the digital element is subtle and lush and as organic as any of the guitars or voices.
A few of the tracks get noisy and thick and corrosive and almost explosive here and there, but even then, that crunch and buzz is underpinned by swirling melodies, and lush hushed drones.
Such a beautiful beautiful record, hard to believe it was conjured up in only a matter of days. It makes us almost wish these two keep making music together, imagine what they could come up with given a week? A month? A year? Here's hoping...
MPEG Stream: "Music Box Of Snakes"
MPEG Stream: "Goodnight Sweetheart"
MPEG Stream: "If My Heart"

SPARKS A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing (Wounded Bird) cd 14.98
Hot on the heels of Sparks latest effort, the wonderful Hello Young Lovers (reviewed two lists ago), we get these reissues of the first two Sparks albums, 1971's self-titled debut and A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing from 1972. It's amazing to see the bookends of an topsy-turvy 35-year career and how full circle the sound has become. These records sound as unique as they must have 35 years ago, because of course they are new to us, having never heard any recording before 1973's proto-glam masterpiece Kimono My House. It's funny how after hearing these two records back-to-back, we've been hearing the Mael brothers sound in everything from the new Fiery Furnaces to Jennifer Gentle. Please don't make us decide which one is better because they are both so good!
The second album from Sparks is just as delightfully non-conventional and non-commercial as its predecessor. This time, Thaddeus James Lowe handles the production and there is an even more emphasized glam feel in the rhythm section. The theatrics are also more amped up, most noticeably in their bizarre cover of "Do Re Mi" from the Sound of Music and the Sea-Chanty rock of "Beaver O'Lundy". "Whippings and Apologies" closes the album with an anthem on the par of Bowie's "Queen Bitch" and Queen's "Seven Seas of Rhye". Awesome!
MPEG Stream: "Girl From Germany"
MPEG Stream: "Underground"
MPEG Stream: "Whippings and Apologies"

SPARKS Dick Around (In The Red) cd ep 10.98
We were quite smitten with Sparks' latest album Hello Young Lovers which came out earlier this year. Their over-the-top grand weirdo-orchestral-pop is just so hard to resist. While many of us were hoping we would get to see them live, they haven't really toured the states in a while. But this ep will tide us over for a little while, with 3 live tracks from a rare concert in LA recorded around the time they appeared on the TV show The Gilmore Girls along with Sonic Youth. This ep also includes two non-live tracks: a different version of "(Baby Baby) Can I Invade Your Country, and the album version of "Dick Around" - a glossy suitably bizarre oompa loompa operatic extravaganza. The cd ends with a radio interview hosted by Steve Jones of Sex Pistols fame. Also included are two videos, one for "Dick Around", the other for "Perfume"!!!
MPEG Stream: "(Baby Baby) Can I Invade Your Country (alt lyrics)"
MPEG Stream: "In The Future (live)"

SPARKS Dick Around (In The Red) 7" 4.50
We were quite smitten with Spark's latest album Hello Young Lovers which came out earlier this year. Their over-the-top grand weirdo-orchestral-pop is just so hard to resist. While many of us were hoping we would get to see them live, they haven't really toured the states in a while. This 7" has the great album track "Dick Around" - a glossy suitably bizarre oompa loompa operatic extravaganza - as well as a live track recorded in LA around the time they made a special appearance on the TV show The Gilmore Girls alongside Sonic Youth.

SPARKS Exotic Creatures Of The Deep (Lil Beethoven) cd 14.98
Wow! The Mael brothers have done it again. Who else, thirty-seven years into their career and 20+ records later, are making some of the most charged and vital music of their life? Pretty much no one except Sparks! Exotic Creatures comes hot on the heels of their summer residency in London where they spent the better part of a month playing EACH ONE of their records night after night in chronological order. The last night of those performances they unveiled this brand new record to the world and man how much we wish we could have been there. As Exotic Creatures Of The Deep deserves such a grand and staged presentation. But it's doing magical wonders through our speakers and headphones too.
Very much in line with their last two great records, Hello Young Lovers and Lil' Beethoven, this album feels like it's part of a truly remarkable trilogy of bombastic, orchestral, grandiose pop done so right.
If it's possible, this record seems even more flamboyant and fiery than past outings but in only the most glorious ways. It's also filled with some of the most beautiful pop melodies you will hear this year, songs with more twists and turns and surprises then most prog bands could dream of and an understanding of what crafting an album that works from start to finish is all about.
What makes Sparks so special is that beyond the tongue in cheek word play, clever titles, and wry sense of humor, is something always so honest, intense and individual in their music and vision. Songs with the ability to be both so self-deprecating yet totally triumphant. We urge you to spend lots of time with this record on your headphones or blasting it alone in your house, as it's when you really spend deep quality one-on-one time with this record that it really takes a hold of your senses and enters your life in such a striking way. Even though the album begins with the angelic singing of the words "I don't care if you love me, just as long as you like me" we can't help but still be so in LOVE with Sparks!
MPEG Stream: "I Cant Believe You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song"
MPEG Stream: "(She Got Me) Pregnant"
MPEG Stream: "Lighten Up, Morrissey"

SPARKS Hello Young Lovers (In The Red) cd 13.98
Wow! 30+ years after their beginnings Sparks have made one of the best records of their career! Brothers Ron & Russell Mael are sometimes known best for their totally amazing moustaches and their Queen-like approach to symphonic pop with totally quirky leanings. Truth be told they formed a year before Queen in 1970 and actually had Queen as openers for many shows in their early years. In their 36 year existence they've been all over the map, being under appreciated and ahead of their time with their ubber smart art-pop, then going for disco gold with Giorgio Moroder in the late 70's, hitting the charts with The Go-Go's Jane Wiedlin in the early 80's and then...well then it seems like the world stopped noticing them. But they never really stopped and thats part of the beauty of Sparks. It's undeniable that what they do is so a part of them and all their quirky eccentristies might make some annoyed but they're so smart and too cool to even care. Their last release Lil' Beethoven was arguably one of their strongest in a decade but with Hello Young Lovers they've totally reignited their flame of totally infectious (we're talking infectious, like it will be in your head when you go to sleep when you wake up when you are on the bus when you are at work -- and this is something to worry about), totally ridiculous, totally over the top brilliant dorky super smart pop from men who remind us that men are still boys when all is said and done. From Devo to Nomeansno to current spazzy punkers you can feel the influence of Sparks in both sound and sentiment. Like a possesed house band in Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory making their own brilliantly crazed multiple Bohemian Rhapsodys over and over and over for eternity. Underneath all the flamboyance and fireworks though you always get the sense that Sparks mean every single breath of it and that's what makes them so totally special. YEAH!
NB. we have to say also, if you're a fan of Steven Schultz and his many projects, you will DEFINITELY love this...
MPEG Stream: "Dick Around"
MPEG Stream: "Perfume"
MPEG Stream: "Metaphor"

SPARKS Hello Young Lovers (In The Red) lp 10.98
Now available on vinyl!!
Wow! 30+ years after their beginnings Sparks have made one of the best records of their career! Brothers Ron & Russell Mael are sometimes known best for their totally amazing moustaches and their Queen-like approach to symphonic pop with totally quirky leanings. Truth be told they formed a year before Queen in 1970 and actually had Queen as openers for many shows in their early years. In their 36 year existence they've been all over the map, being under appreciated and ahead of their time with their ubber smart art-pop, then going for disco gold with Giorgio Moroder in the late 70's, hitting the charts with The Go-Go's Jane Wiedlin in the early 80's and then...well then it seems like the world stopped noticing them. But they never really stopped and thats part of the beauty of Sparks. It's undeniable that what they do is so a part of them and all their quirky eccentristies might make some annoyed but they're so smart and too cool to even care. Their last release Lil' Beethoven was arguably one of their strongest in a decade but with Hello Young Lovers they've totally reignited their flame of totally infectious (we're talking infectious, like it will be in your head when you go to sleep when you wake up when you are on the bus when you are at work -- and this is something to worry about), totally ridiculous, totally over the top brilliant dorky super smart pop from men who remind us that men are still boys when all is said and done. From Devo to Nomeansno to current spazzy punkers you can feel the influence of Sparks in both sound and sentiment. Like a possesed house band in Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory making their own brilliantly crazed multiple Bohemian Rhapsodys over and over and over for eternity. Underneath all the flamboyance and fireworks though you always get the sense that Sparks mean every single breath of it and that's what makes them so totally special. YEAH!
NB. we have to say also, if you're a fan of Steven Schultz and his many projects, you will DEFINITELY love this...
MPEG Stream: "Dick Around"
MPEG Stream: "Perfume"
MPEG Stream: "Metaphor"

SPARKS Indiscreet (Universal / Island) cd 16.98

SPARKS Introducing Sparks (Lil Beethoven) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Over The Summer"
MPEG Stream: "Forever Young"

SPARKS Kimono My House (Universal / Island) cd 16.98

SPARKS Kimono My House (Island) lp 21.00

SPARKS No. 1 In Heaven (Oasis / Repertoire) cd 14.98
No.1 In Heaven was a match made in pop genius heaven! The matching of the super smart snappy pop chops of Sparks with the golden electronic touch of Giorgio Moroder at the prime of his magical production prowess, FANTASTICO!!! The year was 1979 and disco was at its zenith and lots of very non-disco folks were jumping on the bandwagon with pretty bland and lame results. But the collaboration of Moroder's spaced out and fantastical production with Sparks sharp wit and knack for ultracatchy melodies was such a perfect match! With Sparks still punching out fast paced pop and Moroder adding an element of electronic spacey wonder to the mix, this is simply one of the best records in the extensive Sparks catalog. 25 years after its release and folks like Hot Chip and Of Montreal are getting the kids all worked up with their brand of super fun and smart dancey pop that can find it's roots right here on No.1 In Heaven. While this is not a new reissue we never realized it had been issued on cd so we had to jump at the chance of sharing this long time favorite with as many new ears as possible!
MPEG Stream: "La Dolce Vita"
MPEG Stream: "Tryouts For The Human Race"
MPEG Stream: "Beat The Clock"

SPARKS Propaganda (Universal / Island) cd 16.98

SPARKS s/t (Wounded Bird) cd 14.98
Hot on the heels of Sparks latest effort, the wonderful Hello Young Lovers (reviewed two lists ago), we get these reissues of the first two Sparks albums, 1971's self-titled debut and A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing from 1972. It's amazing to see the bookends of an topsy-turvy 35-year career and how full circle the sound has become. These records sound as unique as they must have 35 years ago, because of course they are new to us, having never heard any recording before 1973's proto-glam masterpiece Kimono My House. It's funny how after hearing these two records back-to-back, we've been hearing the Mael brothers sound in everything from the new Fiery Furnaces to Jennifer Gentle. Please don't make us decide which one is better because they are both so good!
Produced by Todd Rundgren (MeatLoaf, Badfinger and New York Dolls) for his Bearsville Record label imprint, this must be one of the strangest debut records of 1971. Apart from early Alice Cooper, we can't quite think of a record or band so out of left-field as this (check out Ron Mael on the cover looking like early Prince with a Hitler 'stache!). While the dominant sound coming out of LA at the time was either mellow singer-songwriters or country inflected roots rock, Sparks arrived on the scene with art-y bombast, campy falsetto vocals, and strange time changes straight out of musical theatre. Never quite fitting in the confines of glam, classic rock, or power pop, Sparks infectious blend of smart, satirical song-writing and vocal theatrics would take awhile to connect with mainstream audiences. However they definitely set the stage for the likes of Queen as well as, of course, almost all of New Wave!
MPEG Stream: "Wonder Girl"
MPEG Stream: "Biology 2"
MPEG Stream: "(No More) Mr. Nice Guys"

SPARKS Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman (Lil' Beethoven) cd 14.98

SPARKS Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman (Lil' Beethoven) 2lp 34.00

SPARKS Whomp That Sucker (Oasis) cd 22.00
Sparks are experiencing a much deserved surge in respect and attention lately after thirty seven years of crafting some of the most innovative, arousing and irreverent pop music ever. Much of their back catalog is being reissued so expect to see lots of their titles reviewed here in the months to come. We've already expressed our profound love for their first couple outings and their amazing Giorgio Moroder produced No.1 In Heaven remains an all time AQ favorite, and their last few outings have thrilled us with their over the top indulgence and pure pop genius.
Whomp That Sucker has always been one of their overlooked albums, their first record after parting ways with Giorgio Moroder, who gave the band a more dance/disco vibe on the two records that came before this one. This record found Sparks in full on new-wave overdrive reflecting the year it was recorded, 1981, yet like so much of their back catalog it really stands the test of time. Five different kinds of keyboards and synthesizers were used in making this record and the songs are filled with crazy catchy hooks and some of their most amusing lyrics with songs that sound like Devo channeling The Knack and 10cc.
With the recent flood of newer bands looking to the '80s for inspiration in their hip shaking sassy pop (Hot Chip, Of Montreal, Cut Copy, Tough Alliance, etc.) it's pretty awesome to go back to 1981 and hear how it's really done. So fun and additive!
MPEG Stream: "Tips For Teens"
MPEG Stream: "Upstairs"
MPEG Stream: "Wacky Women"

SPARO, FRANKIE Arena Hostile (Constellation) cd 7.98
Second release from this mysterious Canadian solo artist who goes by the pseudonym Frankie Sparo. A couple of years ago he made the move east from Victoria, BC to Montreal, PQ and into the welcoming arms of the Constellation label. Now don't swiftly lump him in with the rest of that label's stable of artists, he definitely stands apart, with the primary focus being on his hoarsely emotive voice. These are four raw, intimate whiskey-soaked songs of poetic broodings from one intensely lonely, world-weary and embittered gent. With A Silver Mt. Zion / GYBEmperor members providing the swells, hiss and crackle that intensify the mood, this performance was recorded on 2-track At KPRO radio in Amsterdam. Fans of Black Heart Procession and perhaps Vic Chesnutt, take note.
RealAudio clip: "The Night We Stayed In"

SPARO, FRANKIE My Red Scare (Constellation) cd 14.98
God Damn Their Various Side Projects!!! A new one by a Mr Frankie Sparo of Godspeed You Black Emperor. Mopey, slow over-saturated tunes. Sort of like Souled American, but without the elements that make Souled American charming.