Review Summary: Red Sparowes continue to put out a very distinctive and fulfilling brand of post-rock with their second release.
If I had one complaint with Red Sparowes' debut "At The Soundless Dawn", it would be that some of the record lacked a certain cohesiveness [the first and second tracks could definitely have gone without a good chunk of their ending ambient passages (sort of just thrown on to the end of both songs)]. This didn't detract to greatly from the record and it was still a stunningly beautiful release and amazing debut, it just could have been polished more to an even greater end result.
And that is the greatest leap forward with "Every Red Heart Shines Toward The Red Sun"... cohesion. The album may be missing some of the powerful raw energy of "At The Soundless Dawn", but their is no filler to speak of. Every song is just the next in line to collectively craft an amazing album. Everything has been polished to flow well with one another, and the composition of these pieces is very thoughtful and mature. And whether it's a methodical, quiet passage, or a grandiose, soaring crescendo, every instrument is feeding off of the other in order to satisfy the bigger picture of the piece.
The instrumentation hasn't changed much for Red Sparowes, with the standard guitar, bass, keyboards and percussion leading the way, along with electronica (sparingly used), and (surprisingly minimal) pedal steel. The bass has made the biggest change by far. It is higher up in the mix for sure, but not so much that it's drastic and off-putting. Some very nice effects have also been put on the bass during certain songs, just adding a little more interest to the overall sound. And despite the aforementioned absence of much change in instrumentation, all of the rhythms and melodies are still worth hearing again and again. It's the amazing attention to detail that has made for memorable and moving strings, and pulsating and entrancing percussion. The musicians definitely deserve praise for their work on this album. It's fresh, it's intriguing, and it's filled with great emotion that makes instrumental music astounding.
In short, Red Sparowes' "Every Red Heart..." makes up for what it (slightly) lacks in energy, with great attention to detail, songwriting, and a cohesiveness that their previous efforts just didn't have.
Standout Tracks -
"The Great Leap Forward Poured Down Upon Us One Day Like a Mighty Storm, Suddenly and Furiously Blinding Our Senses."...
"We Stood Transfixed in Blank Devotion as Our Leader Spoke to Us, Looking Down on Our Mute Faces with a Great, Raging, and Unseeing Eye."...
"'Annihilate the Sparrow, That Stealer of Seed, and Our Harvests Will Abound; We Will Watch Our Wealth Flood In.'"