Sparks… have risen from the ashes (no pun intended) of former Lockjaw stars Aura Sun, who were just beginning to make an impact before they called it quits in 2003. I actually saw them a year before that and thought they were doing a post-hardcore thing reasonably well, although arguably lacked a killer song or two to take things further. Sparks… are a different band, even though some of the personal may be the same. Taking influence from the likes of Sigur Ros and Converge, rather than Finch and Thursday, Sparks are a more interesting and pasionate proposition than they were before. The songs are varied and energetic, although maybe not so instant as I’d like, and if I was to be lazy I’d say at times the band come across like Alexisonfire or The Bled – although certainly less melodic or formulaic. One of the better parts about this band is they seemingly rip up the genre rulebook right from the off – not one of these six tracks sounds like an other.
While this is a bonus in one sense, it makes the overall flow of the record a little more tricky. While ‘Sex Is Mathematics’ jutts and hacks its way across a sea of guitars that are literally spewing out riffs, the riffage on the curiously named ‘I’ll Sever Her Limbs When The Four Horseman of the Apocolypse Arrive’ comes across more like At The Drive In when they’re pissed off. ‘Some Days I Just Fel Like Throwing Myself Out The Window’ is a cracker mind; from the psychotic howl that introduces the song, to the almost-metal guitar parts that squeak and squawl to great effect. This is a diverse record well worthy of your attention, but the lack of flow, for me, just takes the edge off it slightly. Still, another good release from BSM and I’m sure this record will go on to get some richly-deserved positive reviews.
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Paul