Feels like a continuum of the orchestrated repetitions of Lil' Beethoven with an injection of 2000s rock guitar textures. Although not quite hitting the extraordinary heights of their previous project, Hello Young Lovers continues the late career momentum of Sparks. The satire bites hard on 'Dick Around' and the utterly bizarre '(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country'. 'As I Sit Down to Play the Organ at the Notre Dame Cathedral' is essentially a multipart 7 ... read more

Barry’s wheelhouse is a winning formula - He gets randy accompanied by sweeping strings, he gets sad accompanied by sweeping strings. The rhythm section is also marvellous here. There’s a mid-album slump where Barry gets way too paint by numbers even by his standards but the last two tracks make up for it all.

Track Picks: You See The Trouble With Me, Let The Music Play

Sparks bring all the best elements of their idiosyncratic application of popular music together. Repetition has always been a notable facet of Sparks work but they work with it so well here, playfully dropping in unexpected variations to their chant-like, hypnotic hooks. The absolute apex of this vision has to be ‘My Baby’s Taking Me Home’ which meditates on its comforting refrain before exploding to a crescendo. A stunning return to form after years of unnecessarily safe ... read more

I discovered Donny Benét via an excellent usage of ‘Working Out’ on the Aussie teen comedy drama, Heartbreak High. It’s easily the best thing on here apart from the generally incredible bass work across the album. Although I appreciate that Donny’s vocal technique buttresses his ironic application of 80s aesthetics, the speak singing grew a little tiresome as the album progressed. Donny sure has a captivating USP, but it didn’t quite sustain me for an entire ... read more

Rebecca edges further into hyperpop territory on her sophomore effort without unleashing the innovation which bubbled under the surface of her pre-debut album singles. A solid set of marginally left-of-field pop songs which runs criminally short. Projects under 30 mins should be banned from being classed as albums.

Track Picks: Salvation, TRUST!, Sugar Water Cyanide, American Doll, Tears In My Pocket

Is my Sparks discography project back on track? Surprised by how much I enjoyed this one considering its mixed reviews. Sparks go all in on the late 90s/early 2000s electronic rock production aesthetic with a heavy dose of synthesized horns. The title track represents a welcome return to the hilarious social commentary severely lacking in just about everything since Angst In My Pants. I really wish 'More Than A Sex Machine' had been available to Tom Jones to cover during his Reload ... read more

A mostly pointless re-versioning exercise with the fresh take on ‘Change’ being the only song I really latched onto. The Faith No More collabs are bordering on farcical.

Track Picks: Change

Cannot get enough of the industrial elements in the early parts of the album. ‘Disease’ and ‘Abracadabra’ will likely go down as two of her strongest ever songs. ‘Perfect Celebrity’ isn’t far behind. There’s a full blown Taylor Swift pastiche on ‘How Bad Do U Want Me’ and I think I prefer it to basically anything Taylor has ever done. Lots of pop and ballad filler here, but at least we end with the unbelievable ‘Die With a ... read more

Sparks take 6 years off but this is only a marginal improvement from their 80s nadir. Their brave exploration into house and techno deserves commendation and when they lean fully into the commercial pastiche on ‘When Do I Get To Sing My Way’ and ‘Now That I Own The BBC’ this works wonders. There’s a few frustrating ear worms and the experimental celebration of film director Tsui Hark is spectacularly boring. Going in the right direction but still not enough to hang ... read more

Have I hit the Sparks nadir? With a string of safe 80s efforts, the creativity really does come to a grinding halt here. If this is the poorest Sparks album so far then ‘Love-O-Rama’ is their lowest point. At least the pure pop of ‘Just Got Back From Heaven’ and the strangeness of ‘Madonna’ suggests there’s still enough in the tank for a revival.

Track Picks: So Important, Just Got Back From Heaven, Madonna

Chuck was a bastion of consistency in the 50s and this is a fine set of Rock 'n' Roll numbers with some unexpected diversions. 'School Days'. 'Too Much Monkey Business' and 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man' are some of his best. Has anyone heard The Beatles cover of 'Monkey Business' on the Live at the BBC album - WOW! Brief breaks from the standard Berry guitar riffs are appreciated, especially the nautical heartbreak of 'Havana Moon' and the ... read more

Listeners looking for anything remotely life affirming or up-tempo should proceed elsewhere. Frank's thematic framework holds pretty firm 70 years after its release, but perhaps gets a little too bogged down in its sad mire. Major respect to Frank for the innovation, but later concept albums would hold up better when they allowed themselves the brief opportunity to deviate from their themes or narratives. A decent early entry into the erratic world of the concept album.

Track Picks: In ... read more