There just might be a certain warped truth to the phrase “guilt by association.” As in the case of Red Sparowes, its formal associations with such heavy, propulsive bands as Isis and Neurosis would lead you to expect that the Los Angeles quintet’s debut would be a masterfully crafted epic of primal urgency.

 

It is.

 

However, Red Sparowes is epic without bombast, heavy without a single bar-chord riff and eviscerating without any clearly audible vocals. The chiming, spindly layers of effect-laden guitars and the swinging, entrancing drums on its Neurot Recordings debut At the Soundless Dawn create textures reminiscent of Goblin, Death in June, Tones on Tail and early Sonic Youth. Its attack is syrupy and serpentine; subtle but frighteningly deliberate.

 

Red Sparowes is comprised of Bryant Clifford Meyer on guitar/vocals (Isis), Jeff Caxide on bass/guitar (Isis), Josh Graham on guitar/vocals (Neurosis visuals and acclaimed video director), Greg Burns on bass and pedal steel (also of Temporary Residence dark chamber folk sextet Halifax Pier) and Dana Berkowitz on drums (formerly of Converge offshoot The Cignal). The sum total of its sound, however, stems more so from esoteric melodic guitar-surrealists of the mid-80’s Blast First and Too Pure hive than the fierce realism of the aforementioned cabal of heavy-psych rock.

 

At the Soundless Dawn – an album of seven compositions with titles that fit together as a complete paragraph -- opens with a rapidly strummed single high-string building tension as distant, delay drenched notes saturate an almost dance-beat drum pattern on “Alone and unaware, the landscape was transformed in front of our eyes.” Pedal steel notes add a further layer of glissando urgency as ringing guitar notes climb hand-over-fist upon an ascending line. The second track, “Buildings began to stretch wide across the sky and the air filled with a reddish glow” kicks in abruptly, sounding reminiscent of the taut and eerie blasts of Italian horror film soundtrack masters Goblin. Icy, piercing guitars jut out from the speakers as rapid bass arpeggios drive the tune ever nearer. Comparisons to the more lulling and lush tunes from the My Bloody Valentine masterpiece Loveless would not be off the mark for the third track – a beautifully constructed four-and-a-half minute piece of gorgeous, somber guitar work -- although the band would likely be reluctant to accept such a compliment.

 

Throughout the album, transitions glide and instruments smudge into a warm wash of tones. It’s an orchestral wall of sound that is equally as entrancing as it is unnerving. The 12-minute album closer, for instance, gradually builds tension with clever use of smeared, formless guitar notes that create a sense of three-dimensional sound as notes seem to move from background to foreground, flitting around an imaginary room. Sparing tom drum rolls add to the growing claustrophobia, until ever-rebuilding waves of strings cascade into a grand crescendo that finishes as mysteriously as it began.

 

Although the band members are indeed tied to many other projects, Red Sparowes is not just a side-project. The band plans to coordinate tour dates around its busy schedules and has toured the west coast opening for the Dillinger Escape Plan.

 

While At the Soundless Dawn uses vocals as subtle instrumentation, the group plans to incorporate voices further into its sound. This stunning introduction to Red Sparowes, recorded in San Francisco by engineer Desmond Shea (who also did additional engineering on the recent Neurosis album, The Eye of Every Storm) is just the beginning for a band that promises to change the way we think about heavy music. Its family of related artists is certainly good company. But, where their common goals to experiment with epic, cathartic music meet, Red Sparowes branches far outside of the expected boundaries.

 

- Dave Clifford

Je l' ovo na Neurotu?

aha.

 

post rock bracala.

 

ozbiljno.

Verujem.

 

I Grails je Post-Rock burazere.

 

Hocu taj shit, yo!

ohohohooh!!!

 

ovo bi moglo da bude opasno dobro!!!

donecu ti jos sjutra na tibiju (dolazis?)

ako uspem da skinem i poslednju pesmu

jebe me posto je 19 mina i traje pun qrac puno vremena

kad i tebe jebe, zamisli kako bih ja prosao (ocekujem neku posalicu od kranga sada )

 

tibija, jashta. ti moras mrtve tekshane da cujes.

o tome mi i In The WC prichao

Fuck! Šta je ovo? Od kada?

Ovo moram nekako čuti!

 

 

Jebem ti sunce! Zar je ovo moguće?

spominjao BodyRemover pre nekih 10ak dana.. pa jos i ja video na par mesta da se pominju Isis clanovi.. a kako se Cliff u intervjuu pokazao kao ql lik, rek'o, daj da vidim sta je to..

 

EDIT: mogu i tebi da donesem sutra to+novi crowbar ako dolazis na tibiju..

Edited January 28, 200520 yr by slowdiver

Štaaaaa!? I Tibia je sutra?!!

Fuck! Mnogo informacija za mene za jedno veče!

 

Potrudiću se da dođem šjutra na Tibiju, pa ćemo se videti... Uzgred, priskinuću još malo i neki stari Neuro singl - ''Empty''. 2 pesmice, još ih nisam preslušao...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

lik od koga sam skidao sparowese je otisao.........

 

jos jedna ortakinja je tu online...... jos samo 20 mina da ostane tu........ i skinucu i poslednju pesmuuuuuuuuuuuu.....

Jesi čuo za Nostromo? Još jedan bend iz te Neurosis/ISIS/Callisto struje, u ovakvom unplugged fazonu. Ništa posebno, ali zanimljivo i bizarno zvuči...

nisam cuo za nostr...

 

nego..

 

JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! skinuo sam ceo album!!! konachno!!! sad mogu da ga podelim sa svima vama!!!

np: Candlemass - Samarithian

 

imaju i ribu u bendu!

 

mozda voli boćanje??

ili... šojtanje?

boćanje, sigurno!

 

boćanje je next big thing!

Jok, šojtanje! I to norveški revival!

mislim da svi sa ove teme/foruma treba da osnujemo bend i da se nazovemo БОЋАРИ

banatske shore konza.

malo lici na "becari", pomislice neko da ste svi sremci, poput mene.

 

a za bocanje valja biti dalmatinac iliti kordunash, kakvi ste po tom pitanju?

 

 

poz

dok se vi bocate ja cu da predem i obrcem preslicu... eto

Imam ja neka izdanja od Nostroma... Mnogo zesce, rekao bih!

dok se vi bocate ja cu da predem i obrcem preslicu... eto

That's the šojtanje, dude!