by Domenica Clark

For beginners to the decades-spanning career of Sparks, their seminal art-baroque-glam-pop Kimono My House has been often noted as the obvious place to start.  Kimono is super pop-y, accessible and has classic stompers such as “Amateur Hour” and “Talent is an Asset”.  After you’ve found that you enjoy Kimono and are ready to graduate to higher Mael plains, I would suggest mostly looking to their pre and post-Kimono output, most notably their albums Indiscreet and A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing.  While Kimono is by far their most accessible album, there are albums and songs that truly illuminate what makes them so darn special in rock music history.  The Mael brothers’ output is notable for their acerbic, witty lyrics and clever songwriting.  The following songs are some of their most wild and unusual and highlight why they are (often) great. Continue reading →