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| Artist: Sparks
Label: Absolute
Category: Music
List Price: £14.99
Buy New: £9.98
You Save: £5.01 (33%)
New (22) Used (4) from £8.95
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 28254
Format: Special Edition
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
EAN: 5037300753577
ASIN: B0017PCX2K
Release Date: May 19, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-7 of 7 | | « PREV | | |
 Put a smile on my face. No mean feat. May 21, 2008
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
Well, they've done it again. I liked Lil'Beethoven. I loved Hello Young Lovers. I suspect I will soon be adoring Exotic Creatures of the Deep. It's a progression again, continuing the sound that the Mael's have defined over the last couple of records. There's humour, there's wit. There's catchy melodies and cleverly constructed meters. There's also a thematic sound. I'm not saying it all sounds the same, but almost like a concept album it's all coming from one place. The top layer is Russell's multi-tracked harmonies, like a choir of exotic angels, swooping through the repeating and repetitive rhythms of the lyrics. Below that is the beautifully constructed piano lines of Ron, counterbalancing his brother's melody. Then there's the sparse boom boom of tom-toms and the strains of cello in the bass, and violins through the treble.
The production is just beautiful, with an open and precise sound.
As with the last couple the biggest influence on the Mael sound (other than themselves) is Philip Glass, though there is also a heavy dose of Lou Reed in the Sprechgesang delivery of some of the verses. And I can also hear very clearly the influence of Brian Wilson's "Smile", especially in "The Director never yelled 'CUT!'" .
All in all, it is very easy to fall in love with this CD and it is destined never to recieve the acclaim or audience it deserves.
One point I would make is that the Special Edition (with Ron and Monkey on the cover) that I bought is anything BUT special. It's just a cheap cardboard sleeve for the CD and book, so assuming the regular edition has an actual CD case, I'd go for that one. And it's cheaper.
Exotic Maels May 20, 2008
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
The Brothers Mael have done it again - another brilliant album featuring sweeping melodies, Ron's razor-sharp lyrics, and Russell's vibrant vocals. This is a dazzling, epic album, full of invention and ambition. If this had been made by some trendy young things, it would be lauded as "album of the year". But hey, it is album of the year. Magnificent.
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