An apt title and an unexpected return to the studio for Sparks is a delight. The Mael Brothers brought their best on MAD!, a worthy follow-up to The Girl is Crying in Her Latte. Where the singles were a letdown, the album pieces, those moments which serve to delight the dedicated, were astounding. Inspired bits of work from the long-serving duo. Madder!, then, is more of that. The first EP release in Sparks’ history and delivered because there is a sense of duty to this project. A feeling there is more to offer, a desire to tie together what Ron and Russell Mael perceived as a few loose ends. Their four-track addition is a nice layer of extra material, an enjoyable release which brings about a new context for some of those more out-there, inspiringly experimental moments. That is the purpose of an EP in modern times. Not surplus to requirement, but extra ammunition for a project which lives with or without these songs.
Much of the world is easy to get mad at. What gets you madder, though? It’s a simple enough question. Sparks hasn’t got the answers, but they do suggest a few shortcomings in life which rile them up enough to write new music about. An antidote is what Sparks offers. A chance to calm yourself in these easily enraging times. How to deal with the prickly characters is heard on the tongue-in-cheek Porcupine, a sweet offering with an excellent instrumental range. There’s a crucial playfulness countering those feelings of fury. Madder! is not all about defusing that righteous anger, but there is plenty to be soothed by here. It’s not even about anger, once you get to grips with the songs within. We soothe over our initial outburst, we deflect the real reason for our outburst, that much is heard on Porcupine to Fantasize. Both are built from interesting riffs and Russell’s vocal work, as ever, is quality.
Mess Up is the best of the bunch, though. His soft but consistent body blows to the cultural decline, the bouncy electronic style sounding somewhat demented and carnival-like. It’s unsettling. Anger is, too. Madder! is a short and sweet deal from Sparks, though none of these songs are as strong as the MAD! project. They don’t need to be. This EP may be an extension, but it captures a slightly different mood. Times have changed between the album release and now, and most of it for the worse. EP closer They is the standout. A surprisingly, initially sparse piece from Sparks after the booming Mess Up. A complete mood-changer can be heard on that last song. Sparks look to a truly darker side of themselves and project that onto the already bleak world around them.
They is a masterstroke. A song which makes the entire EP a worthy listen. That is not to say the other three songs are not of worth, but that’s a remarkable closing track. A drifting, eager to unnerve piece of work which taps into a momentum and style Sparks has not utilised in some time, if ever. Sparks act on an urgency with this four-track companion piece to MAD!, with the on-the-nose metaphors entertaining moments attempting to make light of abysmal times. That brevity works because Sparks, while wanting to cheer up their listeners, also warns that the going is going to get tougher from here. Whatever happens, these songs will stand as examples of how to counter the prickly personalities, the groups who look to false prophets and darker sides of thought. Madder!, is not a call to arms but a warning disguised as an extension of synthpop styles.
