Cult bands don’t come much more enduring than Sparks. Almost five decades after first forming in Los Angeles, the Mael brothers proudly remain on the periphery of the mainstream, quietly influential in their own inimitable, unconventional manner.

Hippopotamus, their 25th album sees them revel in laugh-out-loud lyrical waggishness, from songs about drab sex (Missionary Position) to odes to Ikea (Swedish Design) and near-perfect love affairs (I Wish You Were Fun). For a band whose last two releases were a concept opera and a collaboration with Franz Ferdinand, the music is still steadfastly eccentric, from the zany art-rock of Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me) to the theatrical What the Hell Is It This Time? and the infectiously bonkers Giddy Giddy.

It's as offbeat a collection as ever, but you wouldn't have it any other way. allsparks.com