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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
The whole album is a strange and wonderful technicolour melange that brilliantly embodies the dreamlike and surreal world of Sparks, all produced by themselves these days, of course.
1mo
100
Overflowing with delicious melodies and lyrics to match, the Mael brothers’ 26th album is all hits, no misses.
90
Six of 14 tracks add a full band enhancing Ron’s multiple, overdubbed, mostly electronic keyboards which keeps the sound fresh. But as usual, it’s the quirky songs and artful, casual, sometimes caffeinated presentation that makes Sparks’ music so refreshing in its own bespoke way.
90
The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte is another funny, sad, clever, stupid, artful, basic, beautiful journey into Sparks’ peculiarly well-crafted universe, resistant to external gridding, and a spectacular example of one of music’s most beguiling and bewildering bands. You’d be a fool to think they’re being serious, but even more so if you think it’s a joke.
90
The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte is a fantastic album. As is the norm with Sparks, the album is full of different styles and different sounds. With The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte they have created a masterpiece.
80
Ron Mael's lyrics are elegiac, witty and forensically detailed; Russel Mael delivers them exquisitely and they specialise in ear worms.
80
As always they are best when singing of brief encounters and regret.
1mo
80
The brothers Mael are incorporating new sounds and concepts, whilst still sounding exactly like themselves. They’re a band we should all embrace.
80
Let’s be quite frank: if we’re not already crying into our lattes or other beverage of choice, then we probably should be, and let the soundtrack be Sparks.
80
The art-pop purveyors continue their streak of delightful strange and imaginative vignettes with their 26th release.
80
The Mael brothers cement their autumnal resurgence with The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, a strong return to their former UK label.
80
Only Ron and Russell Mael could have made this album, and while they've always done what they needed and wanted to do as artists, it's extra satisfying that this peak in their popularity coincides with music this vibrantly engaging.
80
Over half a century Sparks have amassed a vast, uneven discography, but album 26 is one of their very best so far. There’s nobody else like the Mael brothers and we’re lucky to have them.
79
The Mael brothers are riding high. Their 26th album strikes the ideal Sparksian balance of madcap melody, labyrinthine arrangement, and stinging social satire.
70
The LA duo’s 26th album follows their musical film Annette, but behind the pomp and theatrics and absurdity is a firm grounding in reality.
70
There’s a lot of emphasis on pop music when discussing Sparks, but it’s not out of the question to simply define their latest release as purely music, given the massive spread of instrumentation and influences. It’s music made by music lovers.
70
Far from dipping into past glories, the Mael brothers continue their storied run on a stylish, impactful record that illuminates their continued engagement with the wonder of the pop song.
The new Sparks album devoids originality, catchiness, and decent ideas.
JESUS! That was such a pain in the ass. I had never listened to a Sparks album, mostly because I didn't know they existed until this LP appeared on aoty's "New Releases" session. However, for them being a senior and respected duo, my expectations were slightly higher than low, and even so, I was sorely disappointed.
"The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte" is a work that pretends to be experimental, and ... read more
I think the girl is crying in her latte because she wasted 47 minutes of her life listening to this mediocre sh*t.
This was just a slog to get through. It felt so much longer than 47 minutes, partially because it's so many tracks. This feels like that series of SNL sketches with the artsy European parents (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KnbZqC4uDs). Much like that sketch, this doesn't feel very grounded, and is like a worse version of Talking Heads.
Favorites: The Mona Lisa's Packing..., Take Me For A Ride, You Were Meant For Me, When You Leave, Nothing Is As Good...
Least Favorites: A Love Story, We Go ... read more
Maybe it's a boomer thing. I bought my first Sparks album almost 50 years ago, when irony still existed.
So many people are taking this album very personally because you know it’s the most boring listen ever. I found this thing very fun. I was only bored at two tracks but the rest were bangers
Worst track- Escalator
Best Track- We Go Dancing
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Track List
| 1 | The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte 2:56 | 67 |
| 2 | Veronica Lake 3:02 | 66 |
| 3 | Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is 3:13 | 63 |
| 4 | Escalator 2:57 | 62 |
| 5 | The Mona Lisa's Packing, Leaving Late Tonight 3:33 | 58 |
| 6 | You Were Meant For Me 4:16 | 66 |
| 7 | Not That Well-Defined 3:29 | 70 |
| 8 | We Go Dancing 3:07 | 62 |
| 9 | When You Leave 4:18 | 65 |
| 10 | Take Me For A Ride 4:07 | 65 |
| 11 | It's Sunny Today 2:39 | 65 |
| 12 | A Love Story 3:17 | 67 |
| 13 | It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way 3:40 | 66 |
| 14 | Gee, That Was Fun 3:01 | 66 |
Total Length: 47 minutes
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1w
OMFG.
AOTY surely has the least educated music fans ever. "Never heard of this band before but they seem strange so 3/10".
AOTY surely has the least educated music fans ever. "Never heard of this band before but they seem strange so 3/10".
Added on: January 24, 2023