Spark!
Cirkeln Är Sluten
Progress Productions
The path taken by Swedish act Spark! has taken far more twists and turns than their ostensibly old-school pedigree might ever presage. Starting with a stripped down, roots approach to muscle and hate styled EBM with 65 Ton Stål and then beginning to flirt with lighter sounds in sophomore LP Ett Lejon I Dig, they launched into the stratosphere with Hela Din Varld, a masterclass in the integration of synthpop hooks and songwriting into EBM, and one of this website’s favourite records to be released since our founding, bar none. The departure of vocalist Stefan Brorsson led to the intriguing Spektrum record, which saw remaining member Mattias Ziessow bringing on a carousel of guest vocalists to lend their styles to his compositions, before Christer Hermodsson of Biomekkanik formally joined the band for the carnival-themed Maskiner and Chaos. Now, with Brorsson returning to take his original spot on the mic, Cirkeln Är Sluten arrives with heavy expectations and a real sense of intrigue as to the band’s next move.
At first blush, the record’s style might feel like a harmonization of Brorsson’s original tenure; more stripped down in its arrangements and instrumentation than the preceding two LPs, it’s easy to hear notes of the band’s anhalt roots in the shuddering lurch of “Ultrakrist” or in the straightforward kick and bounce of “Sanningen”. Perhaps most intriguing are the subtler ways in which the band’s work with synthpop is woven into the record, yet rarely placed square in the spotlight – keep an ear open for the light plucked string patches which glide along behind the stomp of opener “Elfte Timmens Pionjär” or their willingness to patch in lilting, ambient breakdowns and outos as on “Kontroll Alt Elit”. Cirkeln Är Sluten is at its best when it takes up both the band’s melodicism and their aggression in as plain and bold a manner as possible, though, as on the punchy anthem and showcase for Brorsson’s vocal flourishes and range “Vi Är Två Mot En Miljon” and the irresistible “Håll Det Fast” (any EBM fan who can listen to the latter without feeling the need to pogo like a sugar-added 13 year old hearing punk for the first time has a heart of stone).
But it’d be a mistake to simply slot Cirkeln betwixt two existing poles in the band’s catalogue; there are plenty of new moves being made here, many of which seem to point to Ziessow and Brorsson keeping at least one eye on recent EBM history. The pinchy, heated pulse of “Norgen”‘s bass and its break-ish drums read like a nod to the classic electro influence the likes of Kontravoid have brought to body music with a splash of High Functioning Flesh’s sample-funk, while the spastic skitter of closer “Klicka” feels like a tip of the hat to fellow SwEBM maniacs Wulfband.
At a super-tight 29 minutes and just nine full tracks Cirkeln Är Sluten is over long before any of Spark!’s shots across the bow can fade, and while its immediate charms and energy are impossible to miss, the care with which Ziessow and Brorsson have blended in the craftier and harder-earned elements of their style soon come to the surface after a few listens. Whether it’s the less-is-more approach to pop ornamentation or building the foundations of EBM into some of their most affecting and expressive forms, Spark! deliver on whatever long-time fans might have been hoping for with this reunion. Recommended.
