The olfactory sense is the sense that most strongly evokes memories of the past

• Sparks, “Perfume” (buy Hello Young Lovers here)

I don’t know much about Sparks, so when S started playing this one a lot – and as its genius quickly overcame my disinterest in the band – I assumed it was some gem from deep in their back catalogue, the era of “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us” or something. Turns out it’s from a 2006 (!) album, but I don’t feel too eggfaced. Lyrically the song has a fashion motif, with brand-name-dropping to boot, but musically it sure doesn’t chase any current vogue. In this age of mountain-man beards or armored glint, Sparks come to the party in black tie.

The song’s cheerfully opportunistic, though – some rawk guitar here, a limpid music-roll piano line there, strings when needed, a spoken-word bridge when needed. (Well, a spoken-word bridge might never be needed, but it’s usually fun.) The disparate elements form a whole that’s perfectly seamless, and that’s because of two things: those impossibly debonair vocals and the simple, insistent forward motion of the rhythm section.

(I was also surprised to learn that the brothers in Sparks were L.A. boys originally, so deeply had I associated them with England. Clearly I have much to learn.)