Although
mired in a rut of merely "good" albums, Sparks had offered occasional
glimpses of their old greatness on each, fanning the dim hope that they might
climb again to previous heights. The faithful were rewarded with Angst in My
Pants, the first album in years (and, sadly, the last) that puts their pop
genius to good use. The differences between this album and the inferior Whomp
That Sucker are subtle but important. First, the material is much better (OK,
that's not so subtle). Second, the band is brought up in the mix at the expense
of the synthesizer, and the result feels more like their old power pop than the
new wave/disco sound of recent efforts. Lastly, Russell Mael's voice is lower;
he still hits the high notes on occasion, but for the most part this is an
album of pop songs you can actually sing along with (and the lyric sheet, while
provided, isn't necessary this time). Still pegged as a novelty act, the
colorless "I Predict" was selected as the album's single; "Eaten
By the Monster of Love" didn't catch on with radio stations, but it's a
much better representative of the album. Other highlights include the
wonderfully silly "Moustache," a Beach Boys send-up in "Sextown
U.S.A.," and the strange but sympathetic love song "Sherlock
Holmes." Throughout the record, Sparks succeeds not by pushing a pipe full
of music through a thin straw (as they did on classics like Propaganda) but by
giving their ideas the space they need to succeed. As a result, it's not an
overwhelming record, simply an ingratiating one. Unfortunately, the subsequent
Sparks in Outer Space returned to the mechanical pace of their post-disco
product, which makes Angst in My Pants a warm exception within Sparks'
protracted creative cold spell.
Dave Connolly. AllMusic.com
