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PODCAST

The Burning of the Midnight Amp

Frode, Trond & Chris

Three Norwegian music enthusiasts delve into the rich tapestry of albums spanning genres and eras. Discover the stories behind the recordings, the artists who crafted them, and the tales their tracks tell. Connect with us on Instagram: @burningmidnightamp Facebook: @midnightamp Email: burningmidnightamp@gmail.com

music music commentary

All Episodes

13:44

100: Sparks - Music That You Can Dance To (1986) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/04/21

With “The Scene,” Music That You Can Dance To takes its most ambitious — and arguably most chaotic — turn so far. This is Sparks leaning fully into structure-breaking, genre-blurring electronic pop, stitching together ideas in a way that feels closer to a remix than a conventional song.We talk about how cinematic this track feels — more so than “Armies of the Night,” despite that one actually being written for a film. It opens almost like an overture, before dropping into a dense, rhythm-driven core

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11:01

099: Sparks - Music That You Can Dance To (1986) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/04/17

With “Armies of the Night,” Sparks briefly step outside the album’s core identity and into soundtrack territory. Originally written for the film Fright Night, the track brings a slightly theatrical, horror-tinged narrative into an otherwise sleek, electronic pop record.We spend quite a bit of time on how divided this one feels. Lyrically, it’s classic Sparks — sharp, witty, packed with quotable lines, and delivered with that half-spoken, half-sung style that adds a touch of character-driven

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11:59

098: Sparks - Music That You Can Dance To (1986) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/04/14

With “Fingertips,” Music That You Can Dance To takes a sharp left turn. Sparks revive a young Stevie Wonder hit and rebuild it as bright, synthetic mid-80s pop — complete with Russell Mael pushing back up into falsetto and the arrangement gradually opening out into something bigger and stranger than it first appears.We talk about how unexpected this choice is, both as a cover and as a placement on the album. After the cool glide of “Rosebud,” this one arrives with a very different energy: lighter,

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12:15

097: Sparks - Music That You Can Dance To (1986) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/04/10

“Rosebud” takes Music That You Can Dance To somewhere darker and more cinematic. Built around the famous word from Citizen Kane, the song turns film reference into full atmosphere: nocturnal, sleek, and just mysterious enough to feel like Sparks driving through an American city at night with the windows down and the danger level slightly raised.We end up talking a lot about mood here. The groove is strong, but what really makes the track stand out is all the detail around it — the percussion, the

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25:04

096: Sparks - Music That You Can Dance To (1986) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/04/07

Sparks opens Music That You Can Dance To with the most literal mission statement imaginable. After being told to make something more danceable, they responded by turning the phrase itself into a title — and then actually delivering it. The result is a very mid-80s Sparks single: electronic, stylish, slightly dry, and packed with period details, from the drum sound and sax touches to the high backing vocals and glossy club feel.We talk about how well it works as an opener. It immediately sets the

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31:35

095: Sparks - Music That You Can Dance To (1986) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/04/03

Music That You Can Dance To finds Sparks at the end of one phase and awkwardly, fascinatingly entering another. After the commercial failure of Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat and being dropped by Atlantic, Ron and Russell Mael tried to reset their career by turning back toward the UK and Europe. The first signal was “Change,” a striking and unusually sparse single that announced a shift in direction but failed to connect commercially. When a London Records executive reportedly asked why they didn’t

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12:07

094: Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/04/02

We’ve reached the finish line of Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) with “Sparks in the Dark (Part 2)” — an instrumental that… doesn’t exactly send the album out on a high.After teasing Part 1 as a short intro earlier on side B, Part 2 doubles down on the same toy-box electronics: a simple melody that hangs around too long, with the overall feel drifting into cheap 8-bit soundtrack / kids’ TV theme territory. The best joke in the segment might be the comparisons — from “bargain-bin Amiga/Nintendo

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08:11

093: Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/03/31

By the time we reach “Kiss Me Quick,” side B of Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat has set the bar fairly low — which makes this track stand out all the more. Suddenly, there’s atmosphere, groove, and a sense that Sparks are actually enjoying the 80s studio palette rather than fighting it.The verses and production hint at something sleek and nocturnal: crisp bass, soft funk guitar, and a smooth, almost Bryan Ferry / late-night Miami TV-show mood. It’s one of the rare moments on side B where the

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07:39

092: Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/03/27

With “Sisters,” Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat continues its run of songs that are neither disastrous nor particularly memorable — and that, in itself, says quite a lot. Our immediate reaction was mild indifference: nothing here really sticks, but nothing actively offends either.Musically, the track drifts into familiar mid-80s territory, with hints of continental European pop and faint echoes of the Schlager vibes we’ve already encountered on side B. It feels oddly disconnected from the sharper, more

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08:10

091: Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) - A...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/03/24

After the collective low point of “Everybody Move,” we were desperately in need of a palate cleanser. “A Song That Sings Itself” delivers… partially.We agree this one is clearly an improvement over the previous track, with verses that have a pleasant melody and some interesting harmonic ideas. There’s even a brief moment of optimism early on, hinting at something more adventurous before the full 80s production kicks in. But once the chorus arrives, the song veers sharply into German Schlager /

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07:26

090: Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/03/20

Side B begins with “Sparks in the Dark (Part 1)” — a tiny instrumental sting that flows straight into track 7, “Everybody Move.” And… yeah. This is the episode where we collectively hit the wall.We quickly agree that “Sparks in the Dark” is basically just an intro fragment (we’ll save fuller thoughts for Part 2), before “Everybody Move” arrives with its relentless chant and what we describe as a 50s rock’n’roll idea buried under 80s drum machines — in the least flattering way. The verdict is brutal:

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17:04

089: Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/03/17

We hit track 5 — “With All My Might” — the lead single from Sparks’ Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984)… and the room is basically united in shock.Coming off the slick chill of “Progress,” this one lands with a soft, sincere love-song approach that feels almost aggressively un-Sparks: no wink, no twist, no lyrical mischief — just straight-faced sentiment, wrapped in a preset-heavy 80s sheen that has us reaching for words like “cheap keyboard demo” and “why on earth was this the single?”We talk about

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10:39

088: Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/03/13

We’re back with track 4, “Progress,” from Sparks’ 1984 album Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat — and for once, the title feels… accurate.After the mixed reception of the previous couple of tracks, “Progress” lands as a sleek, icy, fully-committed 80s cut: robotic delivery, sharp programmed beats, and a hypnotic groove that feels more Miami neon than Sesame Street synth. Chris, hearing it for the first time, is instantly on board — calling it state-of-the-art for its moment — while the rest of us admit

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09:28

087: Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/03/10

We continue our deep dive into Sparks’ Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) with track three — “Pretending to Be Drunk”, one of the album’s more puzzling single choices.The panel agrees the idea is classic Sparks: a tongue-in-cheek scenario, a sly concept, and a title that promises comedy. But while the lyric gets a few smiles, the sound divides us. There’s a promising, punchy intro (we even catch a faint Prince-like vibe), yet the track quickly settles into a repetitive groove built around a brash,

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07:29

086: Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/03/06

We move on to track two from Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) with “Love Scenes”, a song that quietly illustrates many of the album’s core tensions.Coming off a strong, propulsive opener, this track settles into a softer, more understated 80s synth-pop groove. The panel discusses how “Love Scenes” feels pleasant but emotionally muted — a cinematic montage song built around film terminology, gentle melodies, and minimal development. It’s notable as one of the rarer Sparks songs with lyrics written

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13:44

085: Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/03/03

We kick off our deep dive into Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) with the album’s title track — and immediately run into a paradox.Despite the album’s reputation as one of Sparks’ most divisive and least celebrated records, “Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat” turns out to be a strong, propulsive opener: classic Sparks lyrics, a clever metaphor built around failed magic tricks and emotional indifference, and a very 80s electronic punch driven by drum machines, sequencers, and that unmistakable

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38:24

084: Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) -...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/02/27

Sparks hit 1984 with big expectations — and Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat is the moment where that early-80s U.S. momentum starts to slip.Coming off the modest breakthrough of In Outer Space (and the sense that they were one single away from a real American hit), the Mael brothers make a hard pivot into the most “of its time” production they’ve done so far: sequencers, drum machines, shiny digital synths, and very little guitar — even though they’d briefly considered adding more guitar to the live

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10:30

083: Sparks - 1983 Bonus content

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/02/24

The bonus round for In Outer Space is basically a lesson in why B-sides exist. We start with “Sports” — a track everyone agrees was wisely kept off the album. It’s not catchy enough to justify its length, doesn’t develop, and feels more like an 80s sportswear jingle idea stretched past breaking point. As a curiosity it has value, but mostly as proof that Sparks made the right call leaving it in the margins.Then the mood flips completely with “Minnie Mouse”, Sparks’ 1983 contribution to Disney’s

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15:24

082: Sparks - In Outer Space (1983) - Dance Godammit

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/02/20

The closing track of In Outer Space, “Dance, Goddammit” does exactly what Sparks love to do: promise one thing and deliver another. With a title that sounds like a command to the dancefloor, the song instead settles into a slow, hypnotic groove — more zombie shuffle than disco release. It’s deliberate, ironic, and quietly funny.We talk about how this works (and sometimes doesn’t) as an album closer. Rather than ending on a big peak, Sparks let the record drift out, lights switching off one by one

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07:15

081: Sparks - In Outer Space (1983) - A Fun Bunch of...

The Burning of the Midnight Amp ·

2026/02/17

With “A Fun Bunch of Guys from Outer Space,” In Outer Space finally leans into its own title. The result is a short, charming oddity that feels halfway between a novelty song and a mood piece. The lyrics are deliberately minimal, while large stretches of the track are given over to instrumentals, something Sparks rarely do this openly.We spend time on how strangely relaxed the song feels. The vocals are stretched out, harmonies linger, and the whole thing drifts along with a faint late-60s

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