Hippopotamus

As a long-time Sparks fan, I eagerly anticipated their new album. After hearing a track on Radio 2 months before its release, I was hooked and pre-ordered it. When it arrived a few weeks ago, I was blown away. This album is truly exceptional - showcasing Sparks at their absolute best. In my opinion, it's one of the finest albums I've heard in years. The songs are not only brilliant but also incredibly catchy. It's baffling why Sparks don't receive more airplay; they deserve much more recognition. As someone who was previously a big T.Rex fan, Sparks became my next favorite group (although I still adore Bolan). There are several potential hit singles on this new album, which I enjoy blasting in my car and listening to on both my hi-fi system and headphones. For me, this album captures the essence of classic Sparks while surpassing their previous work from many years ago. It's an album that will not just be liked by Sparks fans but loved by them too! Despite being somewhat underappreciated over the years, Sparks have continued to create genius music while others have come and gone. The production on this album is top-notch - it's definitely worth purchasing!

If it weren't for Sparks' releases of Kimono My House and Li'l' Beethoven, this album could have been given a five-star rating. However, since those albums were released, this one seems to be a combination of the two. It retains some of the lyrical fun found in Kimono but replaces the rampant guitars and drums with piano and strings from Beethoven.

With the exception of the first song, which I tend to skip, all the other songs on this album are quite memorable. They feature catchy nursery rhyme-like choruses that dominate each track. These choruses are so infectious that they become earworms easily.

However, this is also where a problem arises. After listening to these songs repeatedly for about six times, I find myself knowing them inside out. It's similar to my favorite albums from the '70s that I've listened to hundreds of times - I no longer feel compelled to listen to this record because I can simply play it in my head. As a result, I'll opt for playing Kimono instead.