Sparks have, as expected, captured the time and culture that surround their music. Cate Blanchett dancing away as though she were possessed by the living spirit of David Byrne is commendable. Not just because it features a titan of Hollywood but because it gives Sparks an impressive placement for their latest track. The Girl is Crying in Her Latte has that modern touch, the post-popular articulation Edgar Wright and Annette provided the brotherly duo has given them a new push to the mainstream. Sparks have not traded out what made them interesting. They are still colourful, surprising and delicate. Crackles and, well, sparks, of electronic ferocity open The Girl is Crying in Her Latte and make way for those usual Ron and Russel stylings.
Beyond those gleeful lyrics, is a thumping, constant electronic beat. May as well stick this one into the dub playlists for late-night discos. It has the same energetic quality, that rush for the need to move, as Born Slippy. Catchy and lively in all the right spots yet never letting go of that notorious art pop style. Elements of glitch pop and hyper electronics, brooding away under the lyrical simplicity but powerful enforcement, is a quality blur. Sparks offer up something different, an impressive development that gives way to a very simple emotive core. Fine and benign are hit perfectly in that opening as Russell Mael gives the track that uniquely soulful Sparks touch.
Arrangements to the lyrical structure give way to a worrying cycle. One multiple to more and everyone is seasoning their coffee with salt and tears. The Girl is Crying in Her Latte may provide some fo the best work Sparks have offered – not because of its lyrical power or the nice blend of instrumentals which Ron Mael oversees, but what it can do to a beginner of their sound. For those that find themselves interested, but not too sure where to start. Sparks are one of the few duos out there consistently reinventing, innovating, changing their style and seeing what sticks. The Girl is Crying in Her Latte certainly sticks, it is a moved and well-observed track that strikes out at the mundane as something to fear
Deconstructing the club atmosphere with those heavy beats and electronic jitters gives Sparks the chance to push the flow of the dance floor out into the streets. They infect the ground those crying people walk on, strike up in a coffee shop out there, somewhere, and place themselves in the heart. The Girl is Crying in Her Latte is a bold track from two steadfast innovators. Nicely toned, well-styled and culturally prevalent. Not just for those links with Cate Blanchett and the joyous, colourful boom at the heart of the music video, but for the delicate understanding right at the heart of its warm and thoughtful embrace. Crying into your latte has never felt this good. Sparks, unsurprisingly, slam their hands around the heart, grip the pulse and nod along with that wry and wild uniqueness as they try and fix the soul. It works quite nicely.
