Author’s note – I know Sparks just released a new album recently, and I will definitely be getting to that, but I listened to this one on my lunch break today and I had forgotten how much I adored it, so we’re talking about this one first.

This was the record that got me into Sparks – after perusing the lineup for Big Ears Festival in 2022 and spotting their name amongst the headliners, my buddy mentioned he had dug a song or two of theirs, so of course I had to go through their entire discography (which, if you’re unaware, goes back to 1971). While words have certainly been written about their career (and an excellent documentary from Edgar Wright on Netflix is a delightful way to get yourself acquainted as well), I don’t see why I shouldn’t write some more about this album specifically, as it really touches on everything that enamored me to Sparks in the first place.

Pompous and grand, groovy electronic pulses, polygonal song structures dipped in psychedelic circus music, frantic horns and cartoon-style melodies add up to an operatic deluge of angular, symphonic pop earworms. Hit after hit, folks, there isn’t a bad song here. The dramatic choruses and bass-heavy production provide a delectable texture over which the Mael brothers (Russell on vocals, Ron on keys) run wild. These tunes are energetic, driving, propulsive, all those words that mean the same thing. Infectious, catchy lyrics are the cherry on top, making for a record that gets stuck in your head in a different way with each track.

I mentioned the drama in the above paragraph – I think, after multiple listens and growing more familiar with Sparks in general, that this is really what appeals to me about their music, and this record in particular. The melodrama, the way the songs are build for the stage, the whole vibe of “bright lights, big city,” all with a hint of sarcasm and melancholy underneath, it just makes me smile. Perhaps it’s because of my past as a theater kid, and these songs are nothing if not theatrical.

The neat part about everything I’ve already said about this record is that it’s still incredibly danceable and just plain fun. It doesn’t try to be more than it is, and doesn’t pretend to be some sort of serious pontification (though you could certainly argue the lyrics dissect some fairly intense subject matter here and there).

All told, A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip is an excellent addition to a catalog brimming with surprises and unconventional takes on pop music (not to reduce Sparks to simply pop music – they are much more than that, but for the sake of a blog post, pop will work just fine). They may be an acquired taste, but once you’ve acquired it, you can’t get enough.