Customer Reviews

Hello Young Lovers

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

How we got here, I do not know. But Sparks has brought us to a place that no one has ever been. Their seeming obsessive penchant for exhaustive variations -- sometimes mistaken as simple repetition by some listeners -- would take a full course in musicology to understand. Especially here, where countless influences and forms are referenced and subsequently transformed into sheer capital "M" Music by the Mael brothers. In a post "Lil' Beethoven" world, where music fans seek little more than comfort and solace, we listeners can't even begin to categorize what's going on here. And there's really no need to try. "Hello Young Lovers" is music complete and unto itself. It is the latest battle won in the long war against cliche.

The lyrics are darker, more pointed, funny in a "gee, that hurts" way. And the pieces themselves are literally without precedent. Just a few moments with "Here Kitty" will expose you to the only extant example of a single piece of music that includes some shaded swing inflections, a burst of musique concret and a string passage easily worthy of Haydn. This ain't no collage: this is a perfectly constructed piece, without a hint of the irrelevant or nonessential. We really are somewhere else. The song form, dating back to early renaissance madrigals, has rarely taken such a nearly incomprehensible leap forward. While popular musics in general continue to dabble in the smallest possible degrees of market-safe variation-on-the-familiar, Sparks has simply jumped ahead, over, out, up, you name it. They are out front and all alone. This isn't funny anymore -- this is so good it's scary.

"Hello Young Lovers" is music that lives outside categories, free from genre.

And what matters more is that, for thirty plus years, Sparks has consistently refused the easy road. While they've perfected existing forms and originated others, they have flat out refused to repeat their own formulas or to wallow in that most prized trough of the music industry: predictability. Instead, Sparks keeps teasing, stretching, pulling, pushing, tearing, inventing and astonishing. But never bending.

It's been a long time since I've been inclined to apply the word "glorious" to an album. But their 20th album is nothing short of a masterpiece from perhaps the greatest unsung band in all of rock. I wasn't sure at first that Hello Young Lovers was superior to their previous work, Lil' Beethoven (superb in its own right), but I can't keep this thing out of my player, and every repetition uncovers new magic.

I've been a Sparks fan since they were Halfnelson and I heard their very first album (yes, I'm sixty years old and still rockin'). They almost lost me when they went synth in the 80s, but recently I've been rethinking even those "lost years". It doesn't matter though, what they've done in the past; what matters is the great stuff they're doing today. It's more adventurous, and has more true musicality than the last dozen albums by their tired, repetitive peers.

Ultimately, Lil Beethoven sounds almost primitive compared to the musical variety and multi-dubbed vocal tracks in Hello Young Lovers. Russell's voice has never been better, and the electronic treatments never mask what a truly fantastic singer he really is.

"Dick Around" opens the album with a preview of all the surprises Ron and Russell have in store for us. One of the song's great moments is when Dean Menta's sizzling guitar enters the mix and Ron starts building to a climax that evolves into a mournful ballade of things lost. One of the way Ron "plays" with song structure is by almost arbitrarily sticking in what might pass for a refrain at various unpredictable spots throughout.

"Perfume" has a great feel-good crunch from Dean Menta's guitar, with Ron's rollicking piano adding flashes of color to a basically simple, hook-heavy little ditty. It's one of those "oh-no-I-can't-get-it-out-of-my-head" pieces that you won't mind taking up residence in your cells.

I guess even a masterpiece has to have a weakest track, and for me that track is "The Very Next Fight". It's not a bad track, mind, but it seems to meander where the rest of the cuts drive, thrash, slither, propel, whoosh their way through. The repetition here does contribute to the circular theme of all the bad stuff coming back around again.

"(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country" uses some familiar lyrics ("oh say can you see?") over a whiff of skiffle and a smatter of Broadway to relate sex to my fine country's penchant for police actions and unwarranted invasions. Very slyly funny stuff.

The more I listen to "Rock, Rock, Rock", the more it seems to be the peak of the album, appropriate since it sits right in the middle of the tracks. At first listen it sounds like a development of the similarly-themed "What Are All These Bands So Angry About?" from Lil' Beethoven. Musically, though, it's far more textured and complex, the kind of anthemic music we haven't heard from Sparks in a long time. Tammy's percussion effects add a lot to the effect.

"Metaphor" is a cheerful lil tune noting that "chicks dig, dig, metaphors". Only Ron Mael could find a relationship between a literary device and the pursuit of women. "Use them wisely, use them well, and you'll never know the hell of loneliness." Indeed!

"Waterproof" is deceptively simple, but if you listen to the song's development you'll realize how impressive the song's growth is, and when it bursts into the final chugging verse you'll be jumping around the room with Russell, celebrating the fact that he's impervious to the waterworks his lady can produce.

"Here Kitty" is a lesser but still fun contribution, describing how a fireman meets women by rescuing their cats from trees, until, uh-oh, he encounters a cat bigger than he is...he still wins the girl however.

Shorter by a couple of minutes than any other song on the album, "There's No Such Thing As Aliens" might at first seem almost like a throw-away, but there are more musical ideas tossed off effortlessly than in The Beatles entire oeuvre.

And that leaves us with "As I Sit to Play the Organ at Notre Dame Cathedral". Others have described what the lyrics convey, the lust of a cathedral organist seeking a like spirit in the congregation, but the changes this song goes through are simply astonishing. Ron has utterly thrown away "the book" on song-writing, and created a propulsive, compulsive piece of music, almost literally a highly-compressed entire opera in a single song. While "Rock,Rock,Rock" moves me more, even that song can't compare to the incredible musical changes wrought by "As I Sit to Play..."

Sadly, Hello Young Lovers won't be recognized as the most audacious, the most inventive, the most articulate and witty album of the decade (at least until Sparks' next album). That's what it is though. Consider my five stars doubled. Take a listen; you'll be hooked.

I must confess that when Sparks first appeared, and even as they gained recognition, I remained oblivious to them. So, I'm one of those people who "discovered" them when "Lil' Beethoven" came out in 2004, and my regret for waiting so long was only assuaged by the magic I encountered.

If "Lil' Beethoven" struck me with its inventiveness and flair, "Hello Young Lovers" simply bowl me over. The operatic drama that they are so facile with, the glorious choruses and poignant lyrics they are already famous for are, in this album, augmented by edgy Rock passages that make "Young Lovers" one of the best things that came out this year.

"Dick Around," "Perfume," "Metaphor" and "(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country"-to name a very few-are proof, at least to me, of how awe-inspiring this set is.

If you know them, I can't imagine that you won't be impressed. If you, like me, missed the Sparks train until now, this is definitely a place to get on and be struck by the creative vein and satiric talent these two guys can muster.

Dive into "Hello Young Lovers." You'll thank me

I cannot fathom why anybody would rate this album below five stars. It is probably one of the best albums Sparks has ever made. 'Dick Around' is the standout track, fusing an epic symphonic sound with a furious metal interlude. Other tracks of note include 'Waterproof', which is an excellent pop song and should be enough on its own to prove that Russell Mael's voice is as strong as it has ever been; 'Here Kitty', which is particularly dense and witty; 'Rock Rock Rock', which functions as an apt Sparks manifesto against pop convention; and 'As I Sit Down To Play The Organ At The Notre Dame Cathedral', which is simply apocalyptic. 2002's 'Li'l Beethoven' broke new ground for Sparks, but 'Hello Young Lovers' surpasses it by remaining in the same sonic territory but playing down the minimalism and repetition. I have been listening to this album since it was leaked in the first part of this year and it continues to amaze me. I find it extremely disheartening that anybody could listen to something so wonderful and respond negatively; and I would certainly hate to go through life automatically rejecting originality, beauty, and brilliance as such people apparently do. Long live Sparks!

Well, how we got here I don't know, but we're somewhere no one else has been. Sparks have always been distinctive in style and in substance. Their work has routinely teased the boundaries of excess in theme and execution -- crossing over only when necessary. And while many people mistake their obsession with minute variation as simple repetition, the structures on display here would demand a musicologist's training to fully comprehend. So now, in a post Lil' Beethoven world, everything has at last changed. There is no need or purpose in trying to categorize what's up or down in "Hello Young Lovers". It is another battle won in the long war against cliche.

The humor is darker, the lyrics more pointed. The music finds itself urgently at ease while shifting through any number of stylistic markers to become something that belongs completely to these guys and these guys alone. Take any single track and spend a happy week listing all the inflections that originate in other forms and then become something only Sparks can do. As but one example, "Here Kitty" may be the only extant hybridization of ragtime elements fused with musique concret further dimensionalized with orchestral shading. Honest.

This is uncompromising work that belies "file under funny".

That these two have been writing, recording and performing for more than thirty years is an accomplishment made even more profound by their flat out refusal to become a parody of their own success. Instead of sticking with one of any number of the many more than workable forms they've perfected over the years and then flogging it to death, Sparks continues to push, pull, stretch, tear, invent, surprise and thrill. But never bend.

All these years and the Mael Brothers continue to make wonderfully eccentric records. "Hello Young Lovers" opens with the hysterically operatic "Dick Around," and concludes with the minimalist sexual cascade of "As I Sit Down To Play The Organ At The Notre Dame Cathedral." Queen would be proud. Or, for that matter, so would Faith No More, who's collaboration with the Maels on "Plagiarism" closely resembles the opening track here. Inbetween is the glorious pop mayhem that has been what Sparks fans have always relished.

Some of the more interesting cuts include the tiger versus the philandering firefighter of "Here Kitty" (the sound effects of which drive my house diva Sophie Cat here crazy), the brand for every girl he knows "Perfume," and the delightfully twisted lover's lament of "Rock Rock Rock." Since oddball characters are often a Sparks stock-in-trade, then you will swoon over the jealous boyfriend of "The Very Next Fight" and the frustrated pipe pumper of "As I Sit Down..." There's even a pointed political swipe at Bush/Blair in "Baby Baby Can I Invade Your Country," giving credit to Francis Scott Key!

Since Sparks obviously have no pressure to conform to expectations of commercial success, Ron and Russell are out to please nobody but themselves. With "Hello Young Lovers" (and "Little Beethoven" from a few years back), I am happy to be given this eclectic reminder that there are still pop and rock bands that march to their own drummers. It's 30 years into their career and Sparks are still striking.

After waiting impatiently for this album to be released in Australia for ages, I finally imported a copy from In The Red Records. This is one of Sparks' inventive albums to come out in a long time. Gone is their flirtation with the disco/techno scene, replaced by a more in-your-face and abstract sound that defies the 10 commandments of pop music.

"Dick Around": Originally earmarked as their first single, this is an enigmatic track about a once-influential businessman losing everything when his woman leaves him for dead. "To CEO a thousand will do the things I say and do. And I will make a lot of bread. And you will find me good in bed". Starting off as a classical piece it lulls into lobby-room kitsch until it suddenly explodes into a thrashing metal fest. Quite simply a harrowingly personal and disturbing track. 10/10

"Perfume". Naming 30 girls and the brands of perfume they wear, Russ opts for a woman who doesn't wear any and proposes to her. Imagine "Mambo No.5" with some growling guitars and reverberating bass, and you'll get this. This was issued as the first single in the UK (instead of Dick Around), but failed to chart. Nevertheless, I love it. 10/10

"The Very Next Fight": Featuring Mother Superior guitarist Jim Wilson, it is the sordid tale of an overprotective boyfriend who gets a kick out of picking fights with anyone who dares to look at his girl. Nice gentle backing that features heavily overdubbed vocals in the chorus and some gritty rushing guitars towards the end. 9/10

"Baby Baby, Can I Invade Your Country?": Fusing the lyrics for Star Spangled banner with a funky flamenco backing track, this is a politically incorrect swipe at America's patriotic pompousity by declaring war on other nations. Available as a ringtone that reached no.1 on the charts somewhere. 8/10

"Rock, Rock, Rock": Not a rock song at all, but a haunting classical piece with some fine swirling strings. It's basically about their previous music being too lightweight and ephemeral to be taken seriously by the rock pig audience that they originally started out with back in the late 60's. 7/10

"Metaphor": Probably the most commercially accessible track on this album, it sounds like a cross between "Cat's In The Cradle" and "Hotel California" and one of the few times that Russ gets to use his trademark falsetto. 9/10

"Waterproof": About an emotionless guy who doesn't buy into his girls crying, instead dismissing it as "Meryl Streep mimicry". Starting off as a cute sing-a-log with some pumping strings and synth clarinet, it suddenly metamorphosises into a glam-rock stomper with some very Freddie Mercury-ish vocals. I like this track. 10/10

"Here Kitty": Dabbling with scat vocals and some meowing, it's about a fireman who spends his time getting cats out of trees until one day he's forced to rescue a tiger from the circus in return for having sex with the tiger tamer. This track will either make you laugh or get on your nerves. 8/10

"There's No Such Thing As Aliens": Probably the only dud track on the album, it is a turgid waltz with lyrics that sound like they had read one too many copies of Weekly World News. 5/10

"As I Sit Down To Play The Organ At The Notre Dame Cathedral": A tale about unrequited love from a lonely organ player whose hoped for relationship with a parishioner is thwarted by the Almighty Himself. Some beautiful organ playing interspersed with bursts of gospel energy and a thumping drum beat. Somebody do a remix of this song! 9/10

Verdict: One of the most confounding albums to come out in a long time, it does not sound like anything else that is currently on the market. It's nice to see Sparks using guitars again, as well as writing about things that no other songwriters will touch with a 10-foot-pole.

*****

The twentieth Sparks album is their second of the 21st Century. In 2002, Ron and Russell Mael decided to abandon rock and dance music, their staple sounds, in a quest to find a new way to make music. The resulting album, Lil' Beethoven, succeeded in taking Sparks' music in a new direction, though closer inspection revealed that some things weren't entirely new to their sound. Still, the orchestration, emphasis on repetition and disjointed song structures sounded like no one else in pop. And shouldn't that always be the case with Sparks?

Of course, try following that up. The challenge in making this album was readily apparent - how do you keep the non-formula from becoming formulaic? The best solution, as this album illustrates, is to go further over-the-top than Sparks has ever gone before. However, the band had certainly not exhausted the possibilities of what I would call baroque minimalism. On the last album, elements seemed to either pop up out of nowhere, or, the Maels just kept repeating phrases and interlocking them in a clever fashion. So you got tracks like "My Baby's Taking Me Home", which was just a chorus run through various styles, or "How Do I Get To Carnegie Hall?", which stitched together a few components, and pumped them up with grandeur.

The effect is sometimes like hearing highlights from a musical, condensed into five or six minutes. Other times, it's like a music montage. This is the best description I can come up with for the striking "The Very Next Fight". It is an uncharacteristically dark Sparks song, looking at romance from the point of view from a jealous guy with a hair-trigger temper. Different sets of lyrics get a unique melody and then a chorus of Russell Maels sing the parts, which blend and separate at different intervals. This is one of the most emotional Sparks songs ever waxed, as this oaf describes this cycle of perpetual violence - a guy stares at his woman, and a fight ensues ("it's always the same"). This about sums it up: "blood on the floor of some posh restaurant/deep down I'm sure that this is what you want." The cyclical repetition in the music fits the ugly pattern being described in the song.

Things are chirpier on "(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country", with a bouncy acoustic guitar part accompanying a recitation of most of the lyrics of "The Star Spangled Banner" - which turns out to be something of a pick up line. On this jaunty song, the Maels conflate preemptive strike doctrine with courtship...would this lead to preemptive sex? Meanwhile, in an effort not to sound paranoid, Russell sounds quite paranoid on "There's No Such Thing As Aliens". This song moves from a plaintive piano piece to high drama, as Russell looks out the door and the window, but sees nothing, singing the title, over and over.

The boys turn their attention to pop music on two songs. "Metaphor" has a subtly clever conceit in its lyrics: "A metaphor is a glorious thing/a diamond ring, the first day of summer/a metaphor is a breath of fresh air." Like most of the songs on the album, it really boils down to sex, as the brothers guarantee that "chicks, dig, dig, d-i-g, dig metaphors." The middle section of this song is particularly great, as Russell sings in his upper register as if it were still 1975. On "Rock, Rock, Rock", Sparks bring all of their symphonic fervor to explaining how "soft passages, they get you into trouble." As Russell warbles as operatically as possible that he's going to rock like "a mother," the incongruity of the lyrics and the music reminds me of the old Mr. Show sketch, Rap, The Musical - a musical about rap, without any rap.
For all of the fun histrionics, the Maels show they can still knock out a relatively normal pop tune on "Perfume". The album's first single has a subtle electronic pulse, while Russell lists 30 women and the scents they wear. But the woman he loves, wears none at all. Between the insistent rhythm of the song and the jazzy piano figure that serves as the primary hook, this song is irresistible.

And a necessary respite after the album's monolithic opening track, "Dick Around". This song is about a guy crashing hard after being dumped with no warning. "Dick Around" is a pompous mock opera that is thoroughly tongue in cheek. The song starts with choral vocals then moves into Broadway musical mode and builds into crunching rock, with Tammy Glover (drums), Dean Menta (guitar) and Steve (Redd Kross) McDonald (bass) lashing out. The song twists and turns in most unpredictable fashion, finding a common ground in these seemingly disparate elements. This is where words like `genius' must be thrown about.

The same might be said about "Waterproof", which starts like something that could have come off of Indiscreet. This song moves through so many different musical motifs, so effortlessly, it's a bit mind boggling. The song has three strong distinct melodies, and, to some degree, has a classic pop standard type of sound. Despite the cheer of the tune, the song is actually about a cold hearted bastard, who won't let his woman's tears affect him: "I see you crying/but I'm not buying/your Meryl Streep mimicry."

The album's closer, "As I Sit to Play the Organ at the Notre Dame Cathedral", seems to encapsulate and summarize the current Sparks approach to music. This 7-minute epic has a series of distinctive musical parts (I count seven of them), all to tell the tale of a guy who plays the organ at the historic place of worship to pick up women (of course, on the "Here Kitty", women get cats stuck in trees to pick up firemen). This song is a collection of hooks that are perfectly put together. The king of all hooks is the ghostly electronic organ part played by Ron. Russell knows that as he plays the organ, he's "gonna be upstaged by Him." But he knows "[t]here's always one face that just might be game." The blend of more low key melodic parts with frenzied choral vocals winds up in a breathtaking conclusion.

Even more so than Lil' Beethoven, this is an album that will be as hated by some, while loved by others. But no one could feel indifferent to this confident and aggressive album. The only thing that could make it better would be if Ron Mael could incorporate more of his classic wordplay into the mix. Then again, why bother? Just keep pushing boundaries and exploring. Although this isn't as initially striking as Lil' Beethoven, after a number of plays, it sounds like it is its equal.

It's been a long time since I've been inclined to apply the word "glorious" to an album. But their 20th album is nothing short of a masterpiece from perhaps the greatest unsung band in all of rock. I wasn't sure at first that Hello Young Lovers was superior to their previous work, Lil' Beethoven (superb in its own right), but I can't keep this thing out of my player, and every repetition uncovers new magic. To meld two of Sparks' album titles together, this collection might be thought of as Lil' Beethoven with Balls.

I've been a Sparks fan since they were Halfnelson and I heard their very first album (yes, I'm sixty years old and still rockin'). They almost lost me when they went synth in the 80s, but recently I've been rethinking even those "lost years". It doesn't matter though, what they've done in the past; what matters is the great stuff they're doing today. It's more adventurous, and has more true musicality than the last dozen albums by their tired, repetitive peers.

Ultimately, Lil Beethoven sounds almost primitive compared to the musical variety and multi-dubbed vocal tracks in Hello Young Lovers. Russell's voice has never been better, and the electronic treatments never mask what a truly fantastic singer he really is.

Others have (and will) mention this album's nods to the Philip Glass school of repetitions, but I see just the opposite -- an eclectic collection of musical snatches and reminiscences melded into an incredibly seamless whole. If Charles Ives had lived a hundred years later and had been a rock musician, he'd be Sparks. And while I'm mentioning the classics, you'll hear slices of music that remind you of Wagner, of Brahms, of Berlioz and Prokofiev, of Scott Joplin, and several glimmers of Verdi and Puccini. But make no mistake -- these songs ROCK!

"Dick Around" opens the album with a preview of all the surprises Ron and Russell have in store for us. One of the song's great moments is when Dean Menta's sizzling guitar enters the mix and Ron starts building to a climax that evolves into a mournful ballade of things lost. One of the way Ron "plays" with song structure is by almost arbitrarily sticking in what might pass for a refrain at various unpredictable spots throughout.

"Perfume" has a great feel-good crunch from Dean Menta's guitar, with Ron's rollicking piano adding flashes of color to a basically simple, hook-heavy little ditty. It's one of those "oh-no-I-can't-get-it-out-of-my-head" pieces that you won't mind taking up residence in your cells.

I guess even a masterpiece has to have a weakest track, and for me that track is "The Very Next Fight". It's not a bad track, mind, but it seems to meander where the rest of the cuts drive, thrash, slither, propel, whoosh their way through. The repetition here does contribute to the circular theme of all the bad stuff coming back around again.

"(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country" uses some familiar lyrics ("oh say can you see?") over a whiff of skiffle and a smatter of Broadway to relate sex to my fine country's penchant for police actions and unwarranted invasions. Very slyly funny stuff.

The more I listen to "Rock, Rock, Rock", the more it seems to be the peak of the album, appropriate since it sits right in the middle of the tracks. At first listen it sounds like a development of the similarly-themed "What Are All These Bands So Angry About?" from Lil' Beethoven. Musically, though, it's far more textured and complex, the kind of anthemic music we haven't heard from Sparks in a long time. Tammy's percussion effects add a lot to the nearly gothic atmosphere.

"Metaphor" is a cheerful lil tune noting that "chicks dig, dig, metaphors". Only Ron Mael could find a relationship between a literary device and the pursuit of women. "Use them wisely, use them well, and you'll never know the hell of loneliness." Indeed!

"Waterproof" is deceptively simple, but if you listen to the song's development you'll realize how impressive the song's growth is, and when it bursts into the final chugging verse you'll be jumping around the room with Russell, celebrating the fact that he's impervious to the waterworks his lady can produce.

"Here Kitty" is a lesser but still fun contribution, describing how a fireman meets women by rescuing their cats from trees, until, uh-oh, he encounters a cat bigger than he is...he still wins the girl however.

Shorter by a couple of minutes than any other song on the album, "There's No Such Thing As Aliens" might at first seem almost like a throw-away, but there are more musical ideas tossed off effortlessly than in The Beatles entire oeuvre.

And that leaves us with "As I Sit to Play the Organ at Notre Dame Cathedral". Others have described what the lyrics convey, the lust of a cathedral organist seeking a like spirit in the congregation, but the changes this song goes through are simply astonishing. Ron has utterly thrown away "the book" on song-writing, and created a propulsive, compulsive piece of music, almost literally a highly-compressed entire opera in a single song. While "Rock,Rock,Rock" moves me more, even that song can't compare to the incredible musical changes wrought by "As I Sit to Play..."

Sadly, Hello Young Lovers won't be recognized as the most audacious, the most inventive, the most articulate and witty album of the decade (at least until Sparks' next album). That's what it is though. Consider my five stars doubled. Take a listen; you'll be hooked.

The follow-up to "Li'l Beethoven" has arrived. "Hello Young Lovers" is a shock to the central nervous system. The operatic aspirations of their earlier work arrives full-bore ready to knock your socks off. Book ended by two tremendous mini-operas, the brothers Mael make it clear that they have the chops to leave the current pop music scene choking in their dust. In fact HYL is not pop music, but a hybrid of rock/pop/jazz/opera/classical music that defies pigeon-holing. Uninitiated listeners may run frightened from the room when the needle hits the vinyl. Everything here requires multiple listens, so if you have a short attention span, you should steer clear.

I will focus on three compositions, after first stating that everything on HYL is worthwhile. The first track "Dick Around" is a major treat that just keeps on giving flavor no matter how long your chew. Assembled from many musical fragments, the end effect is jaw dropping. Out of nowhere a stoner metal section storms in, lending an almost Middle Eastern flavor as the guitar(s) and keyboard storm along with a descending melodic line previously heard in the vocals.

"Metaphor" contains references to early Sparks, including a section in which Russell's vocals leap up into the stratosphere. This was standard fare during their Kimono period, but unfortunately has been sadly missing from most of their later work. His falsetto is an acquired taste for sure, but I love it and the hairs the back of my neck stand up every time I hear it. The lyrics deal with the beauty of metaphors, how best to use then (or not), and the effect it has when a man uses a metaphor in the presence of a woman. "Chicks dig dig D-I-G dig dig metaphors". And most of all, improper use thereof will clearly lead to loneliness. I emphasize that point because twice during the composition the word loneliness is sung in a starkly naked descending melodic line. It tugs at the heart. No, really, once you hear it you will be astonished.

HYL is brought to a close by a composition named "As I Sit Down to Play the Organ at the Notre Dame Cathedral". From the insistent, repeated electronic note that begins the piece, it is clear that Sparks is telegraphing a message to the universe that only the bold should venture into what is to follow. Superimposed upon the story of a sex addict organist is music that rivals the orgiastic finale of Prokofiev's "The Fiery Angel". The short repeated note introduction leads into a simple vocal section with the protagonist urging his conquest to drink quickly and leave. The repeated note is heard underneath in a variety of instruments, leading to the entrance of the organ. First playing a stately hymn-like chordal passage, a pause is followed by a most indescribable organ riff. Based on a slowly climbing chromatic scale with a few repeated notes and underlayed by a counter melody of a descending scale, upon first listen it is clear that Ron Mael is aware of 20th Century atonal classical music. There is an unearthly quality to the organ tone, an again insistent repetitive rhythm to the melodic line, and if you listen carefully, a strange staccato pedal note heard at the end of the first repetition each time this section occurs. Meanwhile the vocal line comes in with the eponymous "...as I sit down to play the organ..." followed by rapturous choral "hallelujah" with massive organ runs. The combined effect is stupendous. Various previously heard musical section recur, spliced together into a seamless whole. When the descending organ passage recurs, it is compounded with a chorus of "la la las" to the stark chromatic scale passage. My heart beats quicker! The organist hones in on his latest conquest-to-be, the one person in the cathedral who is not transfixed by religious fervor, but instead is horned up and tuned into the organist's wavelength. Hallelujahs return and the organ chords fill the hall. And then boom - the final hallelujahs are delivered to a minor key organ chord which echoes several seconds after the vocals end. The ecstasy of the moment is held long after the music comes to an end. The entire seven minute composition hurtles by at an alarming pace, obviously paralleling the pulse of the organist ready to pounce on his next victim.

I am familiar with some post-modern minimalist operas by Philip Glass and his brethren, and I must say that Ron Mael has boiled down their essence to a lean core and extracted some of the most powerful music I have heard in years. Go on, if this sounds the least bit interesting to you, be adventurous and give a listen. And then another. Give it time to soak in, and hopefully you will find the same joy in HYL as have I.