Sparks enter the new millennium with Balls, an album that pushes the electronic sound of Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins into something louder, harder and more confrontational.

In this album-history episode, we trace the long road from Plagiarism to Sparks’ 18th studio album, including their work on Tsui Hark’s ill-fated film Knock Off, the animated short A Cute Candidate, and Russell Mael’s unreleased collaboration with Mulu. We also look at the loose home-studio process behind the record, with Tammy Glover adding live drums to Ron and Russell’s programmed rhythms.

We explore the album’s collision of synthpop, techno, big beat and occasional industrial textures, its distinctive multi-coloured artwork, divided critical reception, disappointing commercial performance and short theatrical tour. Finally, we examine how Sparks abandoned an almost completed electronic follow-up after deciding they were repeating themselves—a radical rethink that would lead directly to Lil’ Beethoven.

Balls may lack a hit as immediate as “When Do I Get to Sing ‘My Way’,” but it captures Sparks pushing one phase of their music as far as it could go before tearing up the formula and beginning again.