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KIMONO MY HOUSE by Sparks

Syn Gates

🦾
Staff member
Legend+
Sep 18, 2019
316
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:syngates:Yo Family! This months #AOTM is Kimono My House by a band that has truly flown under the radar, Sparks.

Finally, a band that I introduced to the Rev. There weren’t many, but I’m proud to have this genius collection of UCLA art grads as one of those few. Can’t take all the credit tho, Papa Gates blessed me with this 3rd eye opening collection of music.

Id prefer that you guys went into this knowing nothing. I will share my thoughts and any stories in the comments section.

Can’t wait to hear the effects of this on all of you!

All my love,

SYN
:syngates:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
 

Aquamandy

Campfire Attention Holder
  • Feb 22, 2021
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    I'm failing a bit on AOTMs 😬 Still couldn't share my thoughts on Sting due to a busy schedule this month...

    By the way, very nice and different experience we'll be having with this one, going with a blank mind into it. 🤔 I'm curious to hear what synners will say, and also to hear your stories!

    Looking forward to hear it and post my opinions as soon as I can, thank you Syn! 🤘
     

    Syn Gates

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    I swear I heard ''this town ain't big enough for the both of us'' at some random point in my life and I can't put my finger on when that was... but the song freaking slaps. The chorus really sticks in your head, it's so catchy.
    Mike Patton did a cover, if the Sparks version doesn’t sound familiar it was prolly him
     

    Batbia

    Music Theory Bragger
  • Jan 11, 2021
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    I'm still owing my comments since Dream Theater but I swear I'm listening to everything 😹 things are crazy here and I just need some time to put my thoughts in order, so I can write the reviews these records deserve 😆 but for now thank you for another recommendation, I will check it out soon for sure 🖤
     
    Synner Endless Summer Collection

    Anna.VG

    Campfire Attention Holder
    Mar 14, 2021
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    :syngates:Yo Family! This months #AOTM is Kimono My House by a band that has truly flown under the radar, Sparks.

    Finally, a band that I introduced to the Rev. There weren’t many, but I’m proud to have this genius collection of UCLA art grads as one of those few. Can’t take all the credit tho, Papa Gates blessed me with this 3rd eye opening collection of music.

    Id prefer that you guys went into this knowing nothing. I will share my thoughts and any stories in the comments section.

    Can’t wait to hear the effects of this on all of you!

    All my love,

    SYN
    :syngates:
    Apple
    Spotify
    YouTube
    yoooo, never heard of this but be sure im going to listen to it! Going to leave my thoughts later hehehe 🤪 🥂
     

    Jamie London

    GYNNER
    Staff member
  • Nov 11, 2019
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    I’m so excited to hear everyone’s thoughts! 😬 I looooove Sparks haha I’m going to pull a Syn here and wait to leave my thoughts as well.

    For anyone who uses it, the AOTM playlist has been updated to include “Kimono My House”! (Be sure to open it in your Spotify as the link display below will only show the first 100 songs on the playlist).
     

    Gabby Heafy

    Local Dive Bar Favorite
  • Apr 5, 2020
    663
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    :syngates:Yo Family! This months #AOTM is Kimono My House by a band that has truly flown under the radar, Sparks.

    Finally, a band that I introduced to the Rev. There weren’t many, but I’m proud to have this genius collection of UCLA art grads as one of those few. Can’t take all the credit tho, Papa Gates blessed me with this 3rd eye opening collection of music.

    Id prefer that you guys went into this knowing nothing. I will share my thoughts and any stories in the comments section.

    Can’t wait to hear the effects of this on all of you!

    All my love,

    SYN
    :syngates:
    Apple
    Spotify
    YouTube
    Wow I love it Syn! Sounds very interesting, I never really heard of this band before, but I'm excited to listen to it and drop my thoughts!
    Love you! ❤️ 🤘
     
    Last edited:

    Syn Gates

    🦾
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    Legend+
    Sep 18, 2019
    316
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    I’m so excited to hear everyone’s thoughts! 😬 I looooove Sparks haha I’m going to pull a Syn here and wait to leave my thoughts as well.

    For anyone who uses it, the AOTM playlist has been updated to include “Kimono My House”! (Be sure to open it in your Spotify as the link display below will only show the first 100 songs on the playlist).
    Thanks Sir London🙏
     
    • Like
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    ari.mac

    Hot Topic Tourer
    Contest Winner!
  • Jul 16, 2020
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    :syngates:Yo Family! This months #AOTM is Kimono My House by a band that has truly flown under the radar, Sparks.

    Finally, a band that I introduced to the Rev. There weren’t many, but I’m proud to have this genius collection of UCLA art grads as one of those few. Can’t take all the credit tho, Papa Gates blessed me with this 3rd eye opening collection of music.

    Id prefer that you guys went into this knowing nothing. I will share my thoughts and any stories in the comments section.

    Can’t wait to hear the effects of this on all of you!

    All my love,

    SYN
    :syngates:
    Apple
    Spotify
    YouTube
    Oooh, never heard of them at all. Going to give it a listen today and come back with my thoughts 🤘🤘
     
    Synner Endless Summer Collection

    idssdi

    Sold-out Crowd Surfer
    Nov 11, 2019
    5,336
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    Groningen
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    Oeh, I'll give it a listen tonight and come back with my thoughts. Never heard of sparks which is strange since Raikou is one of my favourite Pokémon and he does do some sparky stuff 😜(tc electronic spark is also a really good clean boost 😜)

    Seriously tho, never heard of the band sparks and pretty excited to take a listen.
     

    Iris

    Hot Topic Tourer
  • Oct 14, 2020
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    Well. I'm nothing if not honest. Wasn't really feeling this album. All the songs sounded the same to me and the vocals were just too much. And I can't explain why, maybe it was the chaotic nature of the rhythms, but the whole album was just anxiety inducing. I will say a positive is that parts of some of the songs reminded me a bit of Trans-Siberian Orchestra who I absolutely adore.

    So yeah, this album wasn't for me but if everyone liked the same music the world would be very boring. Glad you're exposing us to artists and albums we might not have heard otherwise.
     
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    William B.

    Hot Topic Tourer
  • Nov 11, 2019
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    The first song had me thinking of Lady GaGa, ABBA and the Logical Song from Supertramp. I listened to the album when I woke up, before I left and just now again. It's really cool, I would probably have never heard a lot of the things shared if I was on my own. Is this considered to be melodic? I'm not too sure about what things literally mean, I heard you say you liked motifs before and for the longest time I thought it meant a train ( locomotive ) , like a steady pace. Some parts/songs remind me of a dark carnival. Overall I liked it and I want to try and mix guitar with the keyboard again. The first time listening I wasn't feeling it, I'm sure it was my mood and just waking up. I don't have any specifics about songs but I'm going to listen to it more often this month. Thanks for sharing! :explode-skull:
     
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    ari.mac

    Hot Topic Tourer
    Contest Winner!
  • Jul 16, 2020
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    OK, here we go! "Kimono My House" by Sparks ... So this is not really my cup of tea but I definitely appreciated the innovativeness for its time (it's from the '70s!!!) and some of the songs that stood out to me.
    What I immediatly noticed are, of course, the vocals. Not knowing who was in the band at all, I researched a bit and found out the vocalist is Russel Mael, I was surprised of finding out I was hearing a man singing..impressive range and falsetto!

    Some of my favorite from the album are (just my impressions as a listener of course):

    "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both of Us", love the guitar and keyboard in this.

    "Amateur Hour", really really like the intro. This is such a nice pop song!

    "Thank God is not Christmas"- brilliant songwriting, singing and playing, a really great song in my opinion!

    "Hasta manana monsieur"- such a catchy song, loved mostly the lyrics and guitar!

    "Equator" love the sound and it is such a fun song to listent to! The vocals at the ending are great!!!

    In conclusion, even if it is somenthing I probably wouldn't really go searching for if I wanted to listen to some music, even tho I'm sure some of this songs will get stuck in my head XD, I appreciate their music and their uniqueness! Def worth a listen!
    Thanks for this rec Syn, I love expanding my music knowledge and finding out who inspired some of the greatest musicians!
    Have a great week 💜 :rock-hand:
     
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    Synner Endless Summer Collection

    Yosi Yamin

    Music Theory Bragger
    Nov 11, 2019
    64
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    Hey Synner fam! Hope you've been all doing well!
    If it wasn't for Abbey Road, this one would definitely be my favorite AOTM yet. I haven't heard about this album before, but I was already into it as soon as "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" Started playing. I have never heard anything like this record before.

    I love how some parts of "This Town" are super light, and then a slightly dark vibe enters in for a second, the vocals are amazing and what stood out to maybe the most during this record was the bass work, which is literally ear candy during the entire thing!

    The flow in "Amateur Hour" is amazing. I love that bass work! The part between 1:41 and 1:55 adds so much to the song and gives such a special vibe.

    "Falling In love With Myself Again" - Also such a beautiful song, the things that stood out the most to me were the bass work and the vocals in this one.

    "Here In Heaven"- This one starts with a blast and has a slightly dark and a beautiful vibe. The writing is just on another level, and the guitar work adds so much in this one

    "Hasta Manana" - I love this one! I also feel that slightly dark vibe in it and it mixes so well with the cheerful vibe from the other instruments. The chorus is just insane in this one, every part of it!!

    "Talent Is An Asset" - The keyboard and the bass work fits perfectly in this song and it sounds SO unique! One of my favorites on the record because of that

    "Complaints" Is also another beautiful song, just ear candy as I said before, all of the instruments mix so well together and the beautiful vocals are the cherry on the top, the guitar solo is such a beautiful touch on that one as well

    "Equator" Is another beautiful song. I love the dark vibe and how it fits with the happier tempo in parts of the song. I love the keyboard and bass work in this one as well, the vocals are a work of art - and the ending is so beautiful and surprising

    "Barbecutie" - I LOVE this one. Just so unique

    "Lost and found" Is the perfect way to end this record in my opinion, the bass in this one is my favorite thing ever! I love the melodies and the guitar work.
    In conclusion, this record is gonna stick with me for a LONG time now and I'm so happy that I gave it a shot the moment Syn posted about it. I started playing bass in a band recently, so listening to the bass work in that album truly inspired me to learn more and more. Syn, Thank you for another beautiful recommendation!
     

    Syn Gates

    🦾
    Staff member
    Legend+
    Sep 18, 2019
    316
    1
    1,779
    Huntington Beach
    35
    Hey Synner fam! Hope you've been all doing well!
    If it wasn't for Abbey Road, this one would definitely be my favorite AOTM yet. I haven't heard about this album before, but I was already into it as soon as "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" Started playing. I have never heard anything like this record before.

    I love how some parts of "This Town" are super light, and then a slightly dark vibe enters in for a second, the vocals are amazing and what stood out to maybe the most during this record was the bass work, which is literally ear candy during the entire thing!

    The flow in "Amateur Hour" is amazing. I love that bass work! The part between 1:41 and 1:55 adds so much to the song and gives such a special vibe.

    "Falling In love With Myself Again" - Also such a beautiful song, the things that stood out the most to me were the bass work and the vocals in this one.

    "Here In Heaven"- This one starts with a blast and has a slightly dark and a beautiful vibe. The writing is just on another level, and the guitar work adds so much in this one

    "Hasta Manana" - I love this one! I also feel that slightly dark vibe in it and it mixes so well with the cheerful vibe from the other instruments. The chorus is just insane in this one, every part of it!!

    "Talent Is An Asset" - The keyboard and the bass work fits perfectly in this song and it sounds SO unique! One of my favorites on the record because of that

    "Complaints" Is also another beautiful song, just ear candy as I said before, all of the instruments mix so well together and the beautiful vocals are the cherry on the top, the guitar solo is such a beautiful touch on that one as well

    "Equator" Is another beautiful song. I love the dark vibe and how it fits with the happier tempo in parts of the song. I love the keyboard and bass work in this one as well, the vocals are a work of art - and the ending is so beautiful and surprising

    "Barbecutie" - I LOVE this one. Just so unique

    "Lost and found" Is the perfect way to end this record in my opinion, the bass in this one is my favorite thing ever! I love the melodies and the guitar work.
    In conclusion, this record is gonna stick with me for a LONG time now and I'm so happy that I gave it a shot the moment Syn posted about it. I started playing bass in a band recently, so listening to the bass work in that album truly inspired me to learn more and more. Syn, Thank you for another beautiful recommendation!
    Love this!!! Yes, I wasn’t expecting many to find this as wonderful as The Rev, PG, or I do but I can’t lie, feels good when it resonates with someone the same way.

    If nothing else, you can take all the super interesting harmony(chords) and arrangements and utilize in your own way. I don’t think my band sounds anything like this but I have certainly borrowed and stolen a ton from them.

    More respect to those who don’t like this band but take from them anyway. There’s no denying the depth and creativity of their songwriting.