After twenty six years and seventeen albums, Sparks are probably reconciled to the fact that they're never going to be major stars. The Los Angeles brothers will just have to settle for being a cult vaudeville band who have made a handful of memorably quirky records. Sadly, on the evidence of this new offering they've become more than a little tired. Balls is filled with tinny electro-pop which tries hard to be arch and superior but ends up sounding just a bit tiresome and inconsequential. The wit and glamour of their early hits have been replaced by feeble puns and irritating attempts to shock. A couple of the more serious tracks have their moments but on the whole this is an album best forgotten.