Jeremy Aaron
04/08/10, 02:50 PM
Red Sparowes - The Fear Is Excruciating, but Therein Lies the Answer
Record Label: Sargent House
Release Date: April 6, 2010
A hike through the woods can do wonders to clear a troubled mind, with its serene setting, the fresh air, and the relative quiet, save for birds and the snapping of twigs underfoot, providing the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Well, that is unless we stop and think about what might be lurking just out of view, hidden and camouflaged by the surrounding flora. Wolves, Bigfoot, or worse, Dick Cheney with an itchy trigger finger, could be out there, eager to put a damper on an otherwise peaceful day. Red Sparowes' third full-length release The Fear Is Excruciating, but Therein Lies the Answer carries a similar sort of duality of mood. A lot of it is very much on the quiet side, so despite frequent comparisons to instru-metal acts like Pelican, the Sparowes don't employ the same type of room-shaking guitar fury. There is that sinister edge, though, a subtle intensity that transforms their tranquil melodic exercises into something decidedly unsettling.
Besides effective mood-setting, what this record also does quite well is avoid the typical post-rock cliches. In usual Sparowes fashion, there are some lengthy tracks (five of the eight exceed five minutes), but you won't hear frustratingly circular guitars repeating the same few lines for minutes on end or droning prettily without actually going anywhere. There's still a focus on textures, but as slow as they sometimes are, the songs are very melody driven and seem to be in a constant state of forward motion. The shapeshifting "In Illusions of Order" is a prime example, opening with a languid, ambient creep and the drums building in intensity before the billowing, stratospheric guitars enter the picture-- it almost sounds a bit like an instrumental Circa Survive for a time-- and the song ultimately ending in a calm, glistening resolution. While that may sound like a stereotypical build-and-release scenario, there's no full-on catharsis. The fierce pounding of drums and crashing of cymbals might have alleviated the sense of foreboding, but alas, as the song comes to a close, a trace of that dread still lingers.
The album really hits its stride and hits most powerfully during its middle section. "Giving Birth to Imagined Saviors" is Red Sparowes at their most darkly beautiful, a huge wall of sound with an elegant chord progression and a strikingly memorable post-rock melody. "In Every Mind" reprises the prominent use of pedal steel guitar that added some twang to their previous albums. Surprisingly, it's also the track with some the most ominous, heavy guitar sounds, and the combination has a warped gothic Old West aesthetic, like it would be a perfect soundtrack for a confrontation at the OK Corral between Wyatt Earp and a cadre of vampires. I hope ol' Wyatt's as handy with a stake as he is with a six-shooter.
So, after a few lineup changes since 2006's Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun, a new label, and shorter song titles this time out, it wouldn't have been surprising for their new music to take on a different complexion. Despite also sporting a shorter run-time than its hour-long predecessors, The Fear Is Excruciating, but Therein Lies the Answer still finds the Sparowes treading similar ground. The brevity was a blessing though; Fear never seems to wander. Every melodic turn seems to have a laserlike focus on creating chilling and eerie atmospheres, wisely avoiding the temptation to veer into the realm of full-blown menace-- because it's scarier when you don't know what's out there concealed in the dark shadows. Pointed, intricate, and above all, thoroughly enjoyable, Fear is a welcome return for Red Sparowes, and arguably their best work to date.
1. Truths Arise (1:49)
2. In Illusions of Order (7:36)
3. A Hail of Bombs (4:21)
4. Giving Birth to Imagined Saviors (6:08)
5. A Swarm (7:10)
6. In Every Mind (3:06)
7. A Mutiny (5:31)
8. As Each End Looms and Subsides (7:36)
Check out Red Sparowes on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/redsparowes) and last.fm (http://www.last.fm/music/Red+Sparowes).
Preview/Buy the album at Amazon MP3 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BOS0CM/sr=8-1/qid=1270756409/ref=sr_1_1_digr?ie=UTF8&qid=1270756409&sr=8-1).
Record Label: Sargent House
Release Date: April 6, 2010
A hike through the woods can do wonders to clear a troubled mind, with its serene setting, the fresh air, and the relative quiet, save for birds and the snapping of twigs underfoot, providing the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Well, that is unless we stop and think about what might be lurking just out of view, hidden and camouflaged by the surrounding flora. Wolves, Bigfoot, or worse, Dick Cheney with an itchy trigger finger, could be out there, eager to put a damper on an otherwise peaceful day. Red Sparowes' third full-length release The Fear Is Excruciating, but Therein Lies the Answer carries a similar sort of duality of mood. A lot of it is very much on the quiet side, so despite frequent comparisons to instru-metal acts like Pelican, the Sparowes don't employ the same type of room-shaking guitar fury. There is that sinister edge, though, a subtle intensity that transforms their tranquil melodic exercises into something decidedly unsettling.
Besides effective mood-setting, what this record also does quite well is avoid the typical post-rock cliches. In usual Sparowes fashion, there are some lengthy tracks (five of the eight exceed five minutes), but you won't hear frustratingly circular guitars repeating the same few lines for minutes on end or droning prettily without actually going anywhere. There's still a focus on textures, but as slow as they sometimes are, the songs are very melody driven and seem to be in a constant state of forward motion. The shapeshifting "In Illusions of Order" is a prime example, opening with a languid, ambient creep and the drums building in intensity before the billowing, stratospheric guitars enter the picture-- it almost sounds a bit like an instrumental Circa Survive for a time-- and the song ultimately ending in a calm, glistening resolution. While that may sound like a stereotypical build-and-release scenario, there's no full-on catharsis. The fierce pounding of drums and crashing of cymbals might have alleviated the sense of foreboding, but alas, as the song comes to a close, a trace of that dread still lingers.
The album really hits its stride and hits most powerfully during its middle section. "Giving Birth to Imagined Saviors" is Red Sparowes at their most darkly beautiful, a huge wall of sound with an elegant chord progression and a strikingly memorable post-rock melody. "In Every Mind" reprises the prominent use of pedal steel guitar that added some twang to their previous albums. Surprisingly, it's also the track with some the most ominous, heavy guitar sounds, and the combination has a warped gothic Old West aesthetic, like it would be a perfect soundtrack for a confrontation at the OK Corral between Wyatt Earp and a cadre of vampires. I hope ol' Wyatt's as handy with a stake as he is with a six-shooter.
So, after a few lineup changes since 2006's Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun, a new label, and shorter song titles this time out, it wouldn't have been surprising for their new music to take on a different complexion. Despite also sporting a shorter run-time than its hour-long predecessors, The Fear Is Excruciating, but Therein Lies the Answer still finds the Sparowes treading similar ground. The brevity was a blessing though; Fear never seems to wander. Every melodic turn seems to have a laserlike focus on creating chilling and eerie atmospheres, wisely avoiding the temptation to veer into the realm of full-blown menace-- because it's scarier when you don't know what's out there concealed in the dark shadows. Pointed, intricate, and above all, thoroughly enjoyable, Fear is a welcome return for Red Sparowes, and arguably their best work to date.
1. Truths Arise (1:49)
2. In Illusions of Order (7:36)
3. A Hail of Bombs (4:21)
4. Giving Birth to Imagined Saviors (6:08)
5. A Swarm (7:10)
6. In Every Mind (3:06)
7. A Mutiny (5:31)
8. As Each End Looms and Subsides (7:36)
Check out Red Sparowes on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/redsparowes) and last.fm (http://www.last.fm/music/Red+Sparowes).
Preview/Buy the album at Amazon MP3 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BOS0CM/sr=8-1/qid=1270756409/ref=sr_1_1_digr?ie=UTF8&qid=1270756409&sr=8-1).