Lil' Beethoven

2002 brought about another Sparks rethink, as the Mael brothers did a left turn from their various dance-focused approaches through most of the 90s to lean in fully to classical orchestration via electronic keyboards and their home recording setup. With help from drummer Tammy Glover and guitarist Dean Menta, the resulting Lil‘ Beethoven was remarkable, ranging from the overtly Steve Reich-nodding “My Baby’s Taking Me Home” to the typically skew-whiff lyrical scenarios of “I Married Myself,” “The Rhythm Thief” and “Ugly Guys With Beautiful Girls.”