The Red Sparowes’ Every Red Heart Shines Towards the Red Sun contains elements that are driving building to elements that are fast, and the resultant surging sensation might lead one, if driving, to do so with ever-increasing acceleration. This instrumental post-rock quintet, which borrows members from ISIS and Neurosis, has divvied up an hour into six tracks and borrowed from the genres of ambient and rock — while pledging allegiance to neither. While their songs do build to soaring climaxes, they never reach a state of Pelican-like frenzy. Instead, Greg Burns’ pedal steel creeps, croons, and cries to project a heavy yet measured soundscape. The fifth track is composed of eight minutes that fall shy of a speed-metal sweat, but are nonetheless heart-pounding and gritty. Two tracks later, a lumbering texture (reminiscent of Japancakes’ ambient explorations) gives way to a dense, fuzzed and furious march. Although Every Red Heart is, at times, derivative, its heavy moments outweigh those that are prone to histrionics. The album’s cover art and press materials are laced with communist-influenced and irony-laden imagery, but ignore these allusions in favor of headphones and, perhaps, a hot rod.
Red Sparowes: Every Red Heart Shines Towards the Red Sun
Red Sparowes
Neurot Recordings
2006-09-19