LISTENING TO - Madder! EP by Sparks

 

In the long and illustrious career of Sparks, this is their first EP.  Whilst I found Mad! variable as a collection, the songs on this Madder! EP do possess a cohesive quality, as if they are somehow soulmates. This is then, not a tacked on release of slightly substandard extra tracks. They are distinct songs, possessing all the qualities of note one expects of Sparks. One song in particular I'd say is a classic, an example of Ron Mael's lyrical ambiguity.

Porcupine, that opens the EP, is a song describing a person, who may or may not be their girlfriend. The girlfriend, it seems, is a bit rough around the edges, a prickly individual whose prone to flying off the handles. This is something the friend/boyfriend perversely finds relatable and attractive.

'I'm not saying everything is smooth
Truth be told it's almost never smooth
She is gruffer than the folks in France
But I know her in the ways you can't'

This is followed by Fantasize, an superb example of Sparks at their minimalist best. Opening with the word No endlessly repeated times before you even get to first the verse. On the surface it's about a chap who can do nothing but fantasize about one person. But there is something about all the repeated No chorus that indicates that this is not remotely a healthy obsession. All the negative repetitions echoing his torn and distraught state.

'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no (no, no)
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no (no, no)
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no (no, no)
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no (no, no)

How can I make you understand
The world I've built where we're hand in hand
Walking through, walking through, walking through
Walking through, walking through, walking through'

Mess Up rollacks along at a lolloping pace, reminding me of an eccentric children's cartoon like Rhubatb. Musically it created a feeling of this odd mash up of The Residents with Blur. Lyrically it concerns a chap whose life does indeed appear to be one sort of mess up after another. Someone, who despite all their efforts to be otherwise, just never seems to get a break, or pull things together properly.

'Phoning in sick 'cause you're laid up
Boss sees you racing your Ram truck
Now you're laid off, what a mess up
Mess up
Too eager in your acquainting
Boyfriend of hers has you fainting
Heavy right fist, now you're messed up
Messed up

Run far away, run and hide
Know that in time shame subsides'

The EP closes with what is my personal favourite -They. This song could be interpreted in different ways. It's written from a dance performers point of view, where despite all their energy and effort they never seem to please their audience. I can imagine it describing the sort of audience who comes to a Burlesque or pole dancing club, where the dance is perhaps not the only thing on the audiences mind, in what they expect from them as dancers. The anonymity of Them and the audience to They. The sense of meaninglessness to the performers lives, encapsulated in that their desire to entertain is never satisfied. This ambiguous song has a soulless quality that ultimately exudes a sadly seedy, yet wistfully melancholic air. This is understated brilliance..  

They
Came to see you Shimmy for them all right
And They
Came to see you Hully Gully all right
And They
Came to see a bit of pure entertainment
But never were happy
And They weren't satisfied
And They weren't satisfied