Mad! (Special Edition) ［LP+CD］＜Red Vinyl＞

With A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip and The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte, Sparks delivered near-perfect distillations of everything that made them so beloved for so long. Ron and Russell Mael set the bar so high with those albums that in comparison, Mad! cant help but feel like a slight letdown. The Maels certainly create a Sparks-ish mood thats equal parts jaunty and apocalyptic, and express that mood in their time-tested styles, whether its the symphonic mayhem of "I-405 Rules," an ode to the auxiliary Interstate Highway that borders Los Angeles, or the new wave juggernaut "Do Things My Own Way," a portrait of someone so independent they wont take advice from -- or give advice to -- anyone. The intentionally absurd levels of pomp Mad!s songs build to are also pure Sparks, but the showy arrangements highlight the occasionally slight songwriting. The combination of broadly sketched satire and elaborate sonics works best on "JanSport Backpack," a tale of rejection and branding that attains a remarkable majesty for a song inspired by an athleisure accessory, and "Running Up a Tab at the Hotel for the Fab," a taut synth-rock grind where faking it til you make it could have dire consequences. Some of the albums other standouts happen when the Maels tongues arent quite as firmly in their cheeks. The bittersweet undercurrent of "In Daylight" makes for some of Mad!s finest couplets ("I cant approach you since daylight reveals me/So Ill just wait for the night conceal me"); "A Long Red Light" captures the creeping existential dread of feeling the moments of ones life tick away inexorably; and "Drowned in a Sea of Tears" brings some real pathos, as well as drama, to Mad!s proceedings. It may not be as consistent as some of their other albums, but theres still quite a bit of Sparks witty tale-spinning for fans to enjoy. ~ Heather Phares

カルト的人気を得ているポップ・デュオの28枚目となるアルバム。インフルエンサーの台頭など現代社会を風刺した歌詞には、その鋭い観察眼が漲っている。オペラやニューウェイヴといった多くの要素で彩られた曲群は非常に精巧。同じように聴こえるアレンジが一つもなく、すべての曲が一度聴いたら口ずさめるほどの親しみやすいメロディーを湛えている。
bounce (C)近藤真弥