The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman

Well I didn't expect to be talking about Sparks again so soon, but it seems that - out of the blue - The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman has already come forth and departed on Swedish radio. If you're wondering what the bloody hell a Bergman is, well I initially didn't know myself. Thankfully, Sparks are here to educate us with a new musical radio production titled - you guessed it - The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman, which teaches us listeners all about the apparently famous Swedish film director, Ingmar Bergman.

That was somewhat of a lie, as the story itself is a totally fictional account based around the concept of what if Ingmar Bergman had gone to Hollywood? The results are certainly comical with hilarious track titles such as 'Bergman Ponders Escape'. In essence, it's a bizarre fantasy about misfit-Bergman who unwillingly ends up in Hollywood.

Listening primarily to the overall sound, the musical is often triumphant and is the first time Ron Mael has ever composed something almost entirely with an orchestra. Let's just say that by adding 'Classical Composer' to his C.V, he wouldn't exactly be fibbing. Unfortunately Russel Mael's vocals sound somewhat weaker, but that may have been to do with the fact that I was streaming the production at 96kbps, which is really quite poor. This leads on to my main complaint, which is likely not to be a fault of the Maels. It was extremely hard to follow the story, as the English spoken parts were much too faint for my hearing, let alone the fact that much of it was in Swedish. Hopefully the CD/Vinyl releases will prove that this is merely due to the streaming process.

All-in-all, this is a remarkable departure for Sparks and proves how versatile their talent really is. Talent is an asset, and the Maels really have it (cheeky Kimono reference). I look forward to the release of The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman, which will serve well as their 22nd album, departing from their trilogy of 'chamber pop'.

I've also considered banning myself from ever using the word 'somewhat' again.