Albums to watch

MAD!

Sparks

MAD!

Album number twentysix from the Los Angeles synth pop / art rock duo Ron and Russell Mael

ADM rating[?]

7.6

Label
Transgressive
UK Release date
23/05/2025
US Release date
23/05/2025
  1. 10.0 |   Record Collector

    MAD! is ‘just another’ adroit, bold, clever, distinctive, epigrammatic, fascinating, groundbreaking, highbrow, inventive, jocund, kaleidoscopic, lowbrow, maverick, nonconformist, observational, piquant, quizzical, ravishing, smart, tough, unconventional, versatile, witty, xenodochial, youthful, zeitgeisty Sparks album
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  2. 10.0 |   XS Noize

    Sparks has no intention of slowing down with MAD! It is abundantly clear that they have tons left in the tank and continue to blow listeners away with their captivating creativeness
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  3. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    By the time the closing track Lord Have Mercy comes around, you’ll be mentally reordering your list of top 10 all-time Mael brothers albums
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  4. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    In an act of revisiting origins and relacquering their sound with each new release, MAD! conforms to what’s expected in its own off-kilter idiom, insomuch as any Sparks album can be reasonably defined
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  5. 8.0 |   God Is In The TV

    Another fantastic addition to the bands back catalogue and builds the excitement for their live UK show in June and July even further
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  6. 8.0 |   Clash

    Pop classicists with a heart of gold, Sparks are busy out-pacing the copyists, and reminding us all exactly why they remain so beloved
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  7. 7.8 |   Spectrum Culture

    With almost 30 albums under their complementary but not quite matching belts, Ron and Russell Mael show no sign of slowing down or stagnating. MAD! doesn’t surpass their recent works but neither does it repeat them; a plateau of sorts, perhaps, but an extraordinary one
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  8. 7.6 |   Paste Magazine

    The duo’s 28th album is a colorful collage of bubbling synthesizers, searing guitar, and chaotic string quartets. Though the band’s career spans over 50 years, their endurance hasn’t faltered in the slightest
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  9. 7.0 |   Northern Transmissions

    This isn’t an album built to obsess over, but one to live alongside. It’s background music for smart friends, good snacks, and too much beer
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  10. 7.0 |   All Music

    It may not be as consistent as some of their other albums, but there's still quite a bit of Sparks' witty tale-spinning for fans to enjoy
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  11. 4.0 |   Far Out

    This is an album full of Mael-isms, so really, if you like that, then you’ll like it. But they’re Mael-isms weakened by time, lacking the bite and thrill of the band at their very best, as cruel as that feels to point out when it comes to Sparks
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