Sparks – Do Things My Own Way Review

Amplify the mantra. As clear a statement as it gets for Ron and Russel Mael, whose latest single as Sparks, Do Things My Own Way, continues their ever-shifting goal as artists. Be happy with what you have done, not what others perceive it as. Sparks has always been such a case. It just happens that critical and public acclaim has, for the most part, followed them. Previous album The Girl is Crying in Her Latte is still fresh on the mind, its musical fury and passions burning bright two years on. Do Things My Own Way sounds like a fiery kick, a long-repeated statement from the band ahead of their next album, Mad! New music is on the way, that much is evident. Yet after Do Things My Own Way, the direction and tone of the album remain elusive. Fantastic. It is where they want to be.  

A bit of a punk edge to this one initially, with the rising instrumentals, tand he overlapping sense of doing things your own way. This is what Sparks so often does with their titles. Repeat them, and keep hammering away at it until the motivation, the meaning, sticks. Do Things My Own Way is a chance to dig deep into your soul, to pull some sense of independence out of yourselves. Sparks has an incredible, heavy form on Do Things My Own Way which can relate to defiance in our personal or professional lives. As far as mantras go, it is undeniably strong. As far as songs go, it is one of the better releases Sparks has to offer. Repetitive lyrics but such is the point. Keep returning to that repetition, the underlined and simplified practice until it becomes a routine, not a defiant part of your character. Do Things My Own Way revels in this route, turning inspiration into an everyday, accessible choice.  

Some synth here, some glam rock there, Sparks continues to innovate and does so, thankfully, without reflection. There is a sense of it on Do Things My Own Way, but not the observant kind. This is not a throwback or look behind at what they have achieved but a reminder of what the duo has always stood for. This fresh form of relatability, lyrical sharpness and consistency, is a welcome reminder that nostalgia is a crutch. Vindication seeps into Do Things My Own Way, and it is thanks to the duo doing as the song title suggests we do too. Where would we be without a sense of independence? Of taking the rarely followed path? Sparks are examples and reminders to do things your own way.  

It may feel like nothing but repetition to bring up the song title time and again, but it is what the song relies on almost entirely. A few flashes of instrumental sparks are spotted, too, and as great they may be they never overwhelm the purpose. Foreboding midsections from the machine-like clapping and soft industrial sound, the frenetic guitar and sense of fury at the start are made good on. Do Things My Own Way stays true to the spirit of Sparks and, in turn, dedicates itself to one of the fundamental reasons we return to the duo. They are different yet the same. They have done things their own way once more, and we are all the better for it in the lead-up to MAD!