Red Sparowes At the Soundless Dawn
Neurot Recordings nr-035 February 22nd, 2005
By Jason Jordan
Birds piss me off. They crap on my car, wake me up in the morning when I have my windows open, and have the audacity to sit on power lines without getting electrocuted. Naturally, I was put off by the band name that Red Sparowes use, but if members of Isis and Neurosis are involved then Im game. And Im so glad I was.
The song titles on At the Soundless Dawn compose a cool little story that is aching to be told here, though for the sake of brevity Im not going to do that. Even a band like The Chariot has failed to provide longer song names on more than one occasion. Anyhow, as you might expect, Red Sparowes dont sound too far removed from the crescendo-laden Isis or the sprawling Neurosis, which is yet another positive attribute. I felt right at home in Alone and Unaware, the Landscape was Transformed in Front of Our Eyes, because the complex-but-somehow-simplistic instrumentation is enthralling. Just like the aforesaid bands, though, this group has the propensity to bob and weave until they reach their intended destination. Rest assured, youre going to want to be there when they do reach that location. Also, the guys arent afraid of upping the pace in Buildings Began to Stretch Wide Across the Sky, and the Air Filled with a Reddish Glow. The vocalizations are hidden underneath the multiple layers of instrumentation, which makes them nearly indecipherable, and luckily the pomposity tends to be low. In addition, its noteworthy that the music does manage to match the respective song titles, which is a gargantuan feat to attempt.
Those of you that are still here (the ones that didnt leave after I mentioned the slowcore acts), will treasure At the Soundless Dawn. Its obstinate in places, but is nevertheless an album that gushes with quality. Red Sparowes the only species of bird Im willing to embrace wholeheartedly.
9/10
Official Red Sparowes Website
Official Neurot Recordings Website
Neurot Recordings nr-035 February 22nd, 2005
By Jason Jordan
Birds piss me off. They crap on my car, wake me up in the morning when I have my windows open, and have the audacity to sit on power lines without getting electrocuted. Naturally, I was put off by the band name that Red Sparowes use, but if members of Isis and Neurosis are involved then Im game. And Im so glad I was.
The song titles on At the Soundless Dawn compose a cool little story that is aching to be told here, though for the sake of brevity Im not going to do that. Even a band like The Chariot has failed to provide longer song names on more than one occasion. Anyhow, as you might expect, Red Sparowes dont sound too far removed from the crescendo-laden Isis or the sprawling Neurosis, which is yet another positive attribute. I felt right at home in Alone and Unaware, the Landscape was Transformed in Front of Our Eyes, because the complex-but-somehow-simplistic instrumentation is enthralling. Just like the aforesaid bands, though, this group has the propensity to bob and weave until they reach their intended destination. Rest assured, youre going to want to be there when they do reach that location. Also, the guys arent afraid of upping the pace in Buildings Began to Stretch Wide Across the Sky, and the Air Filled with a Reddish Glow. The vocalizations are hidden underneath the multiple layers of instrumentation, which makes them nearly indecipherable, and luckily the pomposity tends to be low. In addition, its noteworthy that the music does manage to match the respective song titles, which is a gargantuan feat to attempt.
Those of you that are still here (the ones that didnt leave after I mentioned the slowcore acts), will treasure At the Soundless Dawn. Its obstinate in places, but is nevertheless an album that gushes with quality. Red Sparowes the only species of bird Im willing to embrace wholeheartedly.
9/10
Official Red Sparowes Website
Official Neurot Recordings Website
