It may be true that the early-'80s landscape of new wave, synth pop, post-punk and college rock contained its share of quirky, playful, and just plain odd artists. Nevertheless, the partnership of brothers Ron and Russell Mael helped Sparks to be one of the most consistently challenging groups of this type over the last 30-plus years. Always sporting a pop sensibility of some kind, the music of Sparks heavily employs synthesizers and other keyboard sounds, but like another impossible-to-categorize American band of roughly the same period - The Tubes - Sparks will inject loud guitars and biting lyrics at the most unexpected moments.
This unpredictability does not necessarily define 1982's "I Predict," a tune showcased on that same year's unforgettably and provocatively titled Angst in My Pants. Even so, the rather structured format of this tune ultimately refuses to follow even its own rules, as early lyrics questioning the Queen of England's actual gender and suggesting that famous entertainment dog Lassie and Elvis Presley once carried on a torrid affair eventually shift in tone to subjects far more serious. Of course, this doesn't happen until nearly the end of the tune, but when the wallop of grave prognostications arrives, it's quite a doozy. "They're gonna stop having the sun/So you better get tan now" has turned out to be downright prophetic in the three decades that have passed since this single's release. And that lyric's facets of meaning - in retrospect - confirm that Sparks has never been merely a goofy alternative pop band. Still, it's quite likely that fun is the primary purpose of this truly unique long-term brotherly musical project.
- Sample or download "I Predict" here.
- Compare prices on Sparks CDs here.
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Album Cover Image Courtesy of Atlantic/Phantom Import Distribution
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