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Sep 7, 2017Like Randy Newman, the Mael brothers have a knack for voicing the hopes and regrets of diverse, sometimes unsympathetic characters; and the latitude afforded by their operatic arrangements allows them to add commentary in real time, like an instrumental Greek chorus.
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Aug 18, 2017Hippopotamus is exactly what you’d expect and more besides.
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Sep 12, 2017It may rank as one of their best outings yet, as its multifaceted compositional creativity, coupled with its consistently fetching melodies and words, makes it a thoroughly impressive and engaging listen. As always, Sparks shows its stylistic siblings how it’s truly done.
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The WireOct 11, 2017The result is an album which will satisfy fans of all the band’s distinct phases without necessarily ingratiating itself to anyone. [Oct 2017, p.61]
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Sep 12, 2017Even when the subject matter starts out a little more sober, their unflagging wit isn’t far away.
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Sep 12, 2017The Mael brothers also manage to keep listeners enthralled by freely jumping between modes, moving between jaunty piano songs ("Missionary Position"), cascading layered guitar burners ("Unaware") and clever melodies and bridges ("Giddy, Giddy").
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Sep 11, 2017Pure vaudeville, pure theatre--and pure Sparks.
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Sep 11, 2017While not every song is as successful--Mrs Lincoln… doesn’t make quite enough of a very old joke (compared to, say, …Beethoven’s How Do I Get to Carnegie Hall?), and A Little Bit Like Fun is a little bit slight--these are trifles; Hippopotamus is a big, joyous beast of an album.
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Sep 7, 2017For anyone yet to experience the Maels’s unique charms, their best album in decades is as good as any place to start.
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Sep 5, 2017Hippopotamus feels like the latest volume in an alternate cultural history formed of all the weird things that only Sparks are audacious enough to make songs about. It’s an admirable commitment to silliness.
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MojoAug 22, 2017Hippopotamus is never anything less than wildly entertaining. [Oct 2017, p.88]
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Aug 18, 2017Sparks show a knack for succinctly exposing quirky Americanisms while getting is all to happily sing along. [Jul - Sep 2017. p.60]
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UncutAug 18, 2017The Maels' spectrum of tried-and-true on Sparks Album No 25 is wide and rich enough to provide no end of delights. [Oct 2017, p.39]
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Sep 13, 2017The Sparks catalog does not lack for unpleasant characters or situations, but existential anxiety rarely comes through this overtly.
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Sep 11, 2017If you've never liked Sparks, Hippopotamus isn't likely to convince you otherwise, but as a band that seems perversely proud of being an acquired taste, this album shows Sparks are still in fine fettle, and this should delight their loyal fan base.
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Aug 18, 2017Clever, articulate and big dumb and sparkly, the Mael brothers are still pulsating, foot to the floor, full throttle.
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Sep 5, 2017The result is more tacky than glam. If you’re in it for the jokes, Hippopotamus is worth the effort.
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Q MagazineAug 29, 2017Ultimately, floating voters will lament the lack of a flat-out glam and/or electro-disco belter to rival their hits. [Oct 2017, p.111]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 12 out of 16
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Mixed: 1 out of 16
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Negative: 3 out of 16
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Sep 13, 2017
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Oct 1, 2017