Review Summary: Sparta takes another step foward in it's sophomore showing and another step in becoming an individual band.
Whenever any great band splits apart, it’s not only the band that splits as well. The “elite” fan base of At The Drive-In have been split over the two bands that emerged as ATDI’s space shuttle went offline in 2000. It has become quite clear that Mars Volta has struck a higher line of popularity then Sparta did but what is the other half of At The Drive-In anyway? I’ve heard numerous remarks that Sparta is the part of ATDI that kept to the “ATDI sound” which I think is a crock of
shit. Just because they kept a core Indie/Alternative sound doesn’t make this band ATDI by any means which people often want to believe. On their own Sparta is a complex equation of sounds that sport their past roots and a lot of new ones. I can’t stress enough that this band is far from ATDI and even further away from TMV. If you go into the band without knowing the story of the past it’s almost like cleansing yourself from such biasness. A prejudgment that won’t be shown through this review with the least amount of references to the past as humanly possible. Sparta took a cross road that revolves around the rock and indie strategic formulas. Their debut album "Wiretap Scars" was good, while not phenomenal, definitely a worthy enough showing to show that this band could live on it’s own. The post-hardcore parts of “Wiretap Scars” are definitely not as much of a show that comes with “Porcelain”. The step forward could not be denied while listening…
Porcelain
The start of this album sounds like a transmission of some type of code being transmitted. The song unravels with the clashing distortion of guitars and drums that beat away in the background. “Guns Of Memorial Park” continues where Sparta left off in their debut album. The element of indie rock with a hard rock like chorus is still here. Jim’s vocals have obviously been touched up in this album and show strength right from the first words he sings. The song keeps up a fast pace that always feels like it’s growing with it’s layering of instruments falling into each other beautifully.
No instrument feels left out whether it’d be the lightning slick pre-chorus lick on guitar, the bass that provides a profound backbone to the song, or the drums that even come to play a solo around the 3 minute mark. The pace of the song comes with what a listener would expect from their first album… and “Hiss The Villain” only transitions into a faster song. The intro feels like a fast dance beat with the bass bouncing up and down and guitar strumming it’s octaves. The song is one of the more fun songs of the album with it’s high strung pace and feeling that is provided by the pummeling of guitar and drums. As it can’t really qualify on being “heavy”, it definitely feels a little harder then the typical Indie stuff out their. The interlude with the guitar solo and Jim’s firing scream is such a high point in the song which really does make for a worthy conclusion.
“While Oceana Sleeps” is a song that intrigues me.
This is the first song that really shows that the band isn’t just going to be a “simple rock” band. This type of song really adds a lot of tastefulness to the album. A water like guitar lick dowsed in reverb sounds through the intro that gets cut into with an interesting bass line. I also found the vocals on this song were above the rest of them. The song really strays outside the box with it’s atmospherically calm verses and then a chorus that feels like sunlight breaking through rain clouds. Little guitar hooks occur in the verses that really make the song a pleasure to listen through. Ultimately the interlude of the song comes crashing in mixing elements from the verses and the chorus and has another nice outing. The interludes in a lot of the songs off this album are worth the price of admission if you could hang tight. The mutations of the songs are very natural feeling and don’t feel like they are being forced. “La Cerca” returns to the stride of the first two songs of the album with it’s Indie like feeling. The guitar hooks are of plenty in this song throughout that really make the song feel like it has an extra coating over it’s core. The verses would feel so plain without them and I feel like this is a band that needs to rely on hooks and variations because I personally don’t think Jim is strong enough as a lead singer to really be relying on his voice all of the time. Even when he does have his moments many of the songs with his vocals barely vary from his soft, melodious cries to his, gruff yelling like vocaling.
“Breaking The Broken” is the first song that really drew me to Sparta as a band. The intro could have been a recycled At The Drive-In song. It really drew onto me just because of that with the lead guitar lick flushed with effects and the rhythm guitar chaining behind it. The song ultimately strays away from that in verses and choruses but the introduction to the song definitely made me think about “Relationship Of Command”. The chorus is catchy and definitely something to sing along too but the breakdown at the end of this song really seals the deal for me. It’s my favorite part of probably any Sparta song and it packs such a build up.
The way the guitar and bass feed off of each other is so beautiful in the interlude of this song and the vocals go along as well as they could’ve been. The part in their official music video shows all instruments when this part comes and couldn’t of been captivated anymore perfectly. “Lines In Sand” is one of the more experimental tracks off the album and comes in very calmly. It almost feels like the tide of the ocean coming up on a bass. The lyrics are as interpersonal as they get and the vocals are very softly sung. The song really erupts into the chorus and really caught me off guard on what direction the song was going on. The build up’s seem to get more passionate in each chorus and really are something when they come after the soft verses. One of the longest tracks off the album and a great deal of effort has been put into all of the little things and parts that make up the song’s life.
“End Moraine” feels like a post-hardcore song that would have been off the first album. The bass is more then ever heard in this song which feels like such a step up from the first album where at parts it seemed “invisible”. The song has a relentless repetition and vocals that focus more on the harsher side of Jim’s voice. Many times he is yelling throughout. It’s definitely songs like this that will keep you from falling asleep through this album where a lot of people might be finding themselves if they were expecting an At The Drive-In. “Death In The Family” comes in with a drum solo by the unsung hero of this album Tony Hajjar. I love the electric lead lick during the choruses of this song and you will too. So many sleek electric lead riffs on this album are very tasteful on this album. Sounds ridiculously tight. The band in songs like this could really surprise you as they seem to be relentless with the distortion unlike many Indie bands. “Syncope” is a very atmospheric like attitude right from the beginning. The casual listener will find it boring but as an avid fan of atmospheric sludge music I found this “filler” track gripping. It transitions right into “Tensioning” which also is very soft and melodic. The track will then introduce all of the standard instruments and turn into a very emotionally draining song.
“Travel by Bloodline” wakes everyone up with a very upbeat pace. The introduction sounds like a cheesy grunge song and thankfully washes that away by the verse and then reintroduces in back in the chorus. The vocals by Jim are quite good for this type of song where it seemed like it many of the other upbeat songs on the album he was feeling a bit flat. Once again, when the song slows down and sheds it’s skin- it’s outstanding. The guitar and bass trade off of each other like they know exactly in which direction to go without following each other through. “P.O.M.E.” is a drum solo that lasts 47 seconds long. It really shows off the skills of Tony Hajjar and quite interesting to listen too but really ceases to have a point.
“From Now To Never” is the longest song off of “Porcelain” and an underrated one at that. It’s like the pop-punk/Indie counter-part to a song like “Tensioning”. All of the instruments feel like they are at full force in this song and really give it up here. The bass scales all over the fret board and the song never loses that pop-punk edge it seems to have in it. The song slows down and becomes a very light ballad in it’s own rightful way. A soft talking part and harmonized background vocals come in and take the experimental side band to it’s fullest. The song really unravels into a special treat if you enjoy all the hard parts and soft parts of Sparta. “Splinters” is the last hooray for this band and they really know how to go out. They go out the same way as they came in with “Guns of Memorial Park” and in all entirely the songs do the same good job. The song with it’s swirling octave chords really gives the feeling of water being sucked down a drain. Of course theirs a catchy, slick guitar lick that’s played throughout the verse. The song is a great conclusion to this album showing off all the things a casual listener might of missed if he skipped the “slower” tracks.
From Now To Never
To me the ride of Sparta really ends here because the release after (“Threes”) was so watered down it hurt to know that the band made music like this before. It’s not music for everyone and it’s definitely not something all ATDI or Mars Volta fans need to have but should check out before they devote themselves that this is going to be like the olden days. To be blunt Mars Volta and Sparta have both sheddded their skin and become an individual band in very different ways. Sparta has focused on more of a straight forward rock and ambience core with not the science experiments the Mars Volta hold with each and every song. As I’m not one for the whole Indie sound, a lot of people misunderstand me for only liking metal like bands which isn’t the case at all. The vocals seem very hit or miss and is the biggest hurt factor for me since it’s apparent that Jim is a better second hand vocalist then a lead. The arrangement of songs are enough to get through but really isn’t anything ground breaking to me in the genre. This is music that I find relaxing and soothing to do homework too, or to make my school commute. It has just enough of that hard edge and not too much of that ambience repetition that seems to want to put me asleep a lot of the time.
Pros:
+ Improved Instrumentals
+ Some emotionally gripping tracks
Cons:
- Vocals aren’t for everyone
- Feels as if the band is afraid to go even further
