RED SPAROWES

I thought this album was going to be more of a post metal record than anything else, but boy I was wrong. Red Sparrowes provided a solid piece of post rock with At the Soundless Dawn. There is post metal at times, but the only part I would describe as post metal to someone else would the the opening track. Other stuff to note is the common usage of the pedal steel guitar and the album's theme. The theme details the fact that humanity is causing the sixth mass extinction, while the five previous mass extinctions were caused by natural causes. There are no lyrics, the music is entirely instrumental, so the theme is expressed through audio samples and the long, poetic song titles.

Musically, Red Sparrowes is impressive. The beautiful wall of sound created by the guitars is enjoyable, and the somewhat serene songs make for perfect songs to back up studying, reading, or just chilling out with friends. I recommend this album for both post metal and post rock fans, as they will both find something to enjoy from this record.

This is the debut album of the band 'Red Sparowes', a post rock band formed with 2 members from Prog Metal band 'Isis', Jeff Caxide and Bryant Clifford Meyer, both guitarists. Besides them, there were 3 other members in the band that were involved in this album.

The band utilizes a lot of pedal steel guitar. The music is also all instrumental and makes it's statements through samples and field recordings, but also through the long titles of each track. The music is hard and heavy, a lot like the band 'Pelican', and is based on the formula of building on a musical foundation through the use of crescendo, the basis of a lot of post rock. The concept of this album is about how there have been 5 extinctions throughout the history of the Earth, all of which were the result of natural occurrences. This album deals with The Sixth Extinction, which we are all now a part of and which is entirely a result of mankind.

The overall sound of the music is heavy and metallic, mostly dark, with the pedal steel adding a unique tone of brightness to the otherwise darkness. The wall of sound technique is used, but isn't always prevalent, and this helps create a great use of dynamics. It has an expansive sound and can get quite loud at times, as would be expected from a band that takes it's leadership from two members from 'Isis'.

'Alone and Aware'' has a lot of dynamics, not in the use of slow buildup, but in sudden changes. This lends a lot of variety to the track. The pedal steel is used quite effectively in the first part of the track. Towards the last part, the sound almost abruptly ends leaving only the sound of birds, and then some atmospheric sounds and processed vocal samples come in.

'Buildings Begin to Stretch'' is based on a repetitive melody played at times by the guitar and others by the bass. I like the way background noise caused by guitars come in and then suddenly disappear, building up and tearing down that wall of sound. The music drops off suddenly to a single guitar, and the melody comes back in variations. Dynamics are used with layering to bring back the initial loudness later. There is a metallic tone that reminds one of GY!BE. This is an excellent track with a lot of emotion felt through the orchestration.

'The Soundless Dawn'' is the shortest track at just over 4 minutes. This one utilizes a repeating pattern and shimmering guitars, but doesn't deliver the punch of the previous 2 tracks. It's more accessible because of its length and lesser intensity. However, it just doesn't really go anywhere or make any statement. At least it is short.

'Mechanical Sounds'' by contrast, is a 9 minute track. It starts off quite minimally with low tones. Layers of dark guitar sounds are built on this. This becomes almost drone like and goes on for 3 minutes before it fades and is replaced by a single guitar playing a repeating pattern softly. Drums are added later, but things remain subdued until about 5 minutes, then things get louder. This track starts off interestingly enough, but pretty much just follows the basic post rock formula, so it doesn't really hold my interest for as long as it should considering it's length. The pedal steel does bring in some Pink Floyd atmosphere however, but not enough to save the track by the time it comes in.

By the time 'A Brief Moment of Clarity'' comes in, it is a big surprise because it is suddenly very positive and bright sounding. This is very effective because of it's placement on the album. The pedal steel is back, but is utilized much better here. The rhythm is more straightforward here, which is also a nice surprise considering the overall feeling of darkness that has come before. Layers build, making things louder, but it still doesn't drown out the joyfulness of the track. This is a perfect example of how the music and the title of the track are spot on. By the time you get to the 4 minute mark though, there is a sudden drop off and a spoken vocal is heard in the distance, and darkness returns with a drone-ish sound from a guitar. This is a very effective track and it shows the creativity of the band.

'Our Happiest Days Begin to Turn'' again fits the 'narrative' of the title with another track that starts off with that positive feeling, but the beat is more hesitant here. Suddenly, discord starts to come into the picture, slowly. The happy feel of the track doesn't want to let go, but after a while, the track gets darker. This is instrumental storytelling at its best. By the end, we have returned to dangerous times and this is expressed by loudness, repetitive power chords and dissonance.

'The Sixth Extinction Crept Up Slowly'' is a 19 minute behemoth of a track. It starts immediately on a building crescendo that suddenly turns pensive at 2 minutes. It settles into this feeling as drums are added. It's not until 7 minutes in before the intensity increases and builds. This repeating strumming pattern has been going on all along, and continues through the build. A sudden apex is reached at 9 minutes, but it's still based on that same strumming pattern. It almost reaches screeching levels at 11 minutes. You will hear keyboards suddenly take over and break everything down. And then '..silence'. until 16 minutes. A drone that increases and then diminishes in volume carries the listener to the end. This track is too repetitive, and follows the typical formula too closely for way too long. That repetitive strumming pattern is just too much.

So, there are some very impressive tracks and passages here, but there is a lot of formulaic and predictable sections. The way the band tells the story through instruments only is quite amazing. There are some very well done and effective dynamics and some great surprises, but there are also moments of predictability that go on too long. There are times when the album easily reaches 5 star level, but other times when things drag on too long. It is tough to decide where to rate this one, but I'm going to have to go with a 3 here. There are so many places where the band rises above the post rock crowd, but it only makes it more disappointing when they resort to the worn out formula when they don't expand on it enough. Still, it's good enough to merit repeated listens, but probably with the help of a 'FF>>' button.

Red Sparowes crank the Godspeed You Black Emperor/A Silver Mt. Zion style of post-rock up to 11, and aren't afraid to include sustained abrasive wails and shrieks in their music if that's what they think the composition calls for. On the whole, I don't think At the Soundless Dawn quite measures up to works by their post-rock peers; whilst Godspeet and Mt. Zion have also never been afraid to throw in the occasional dissonant or abrasive element into their music, they also show a keen judgement of exactly how long to sustain it for to achieve the right artistic effect without it becoming aggravating; Red Sparowes, to my ears at least, seem to lack that, often creating compositions which are just uncomfortable and uninteresting to listen to.

Great Math Rock and one of the coolest album concepts EVER! Did you know that as part of Chairman Mao's changes he decided to implement from his 1958 book, A Great Leap Forward, he endorsed the extermination of millions of sparrows because they were eating so many of farmers' freshly-planted seeds? The thought behind this was that a higher percentage of germinating seeds would lead to greater agricultural yields and therefore make farming more efficient and feeding his nation's huge population successful. Little did he or his counsellors know that one of sparrows' favorite foods was locusts and that with the loss of the locusts' main natural predator his country's crop losses (from locust infestations) over the next two years would cause the deaths due to starvation of between 30-50 million people!

The song titles used on this album are apparently direct translations from a personal recounting of the devastation caused by many of the campaigns started by Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward.

1. "The Great Leap Forward Poured Down Upon Us One Day Like A Mighty Storm Suddenly And Furiously Blinding Our Senses" (8:10) 2. "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" (10:01) 3. "Like The Howling Glory Of The Darkest Winds, This Voice Was Thunderous And The Words Holy, Tangling Their Way Around Our Hearts And Clutching Our Innocent Awe" (11:24) 4. "A Message Of Avarice Rained Down And Carried Us Away To False Dreams Of Endless Riches" (7:56) 5. "Annihilate The Sparrow, That Stealer Of Seed, And Our Harvests Will Abound; We Will Watch Our Wealth Flood In" (8:07) 6. "And By Our Own Hand Did Every Last Bird Lie Silent In Their Puddles, The Air Barren Of Song As The Clouds Drifted Away. For Kill" (1:45) 7. "Millions Starved And Became Skinnier And Skinnier While Our Leaders Became Fatter And Fatter" (10:01) 8. "Finally As That Blazing Sun Shone Down Upon Us Did We Know That True Enemy Was The Voice Of Blind Idolatry; And Only Then Did We Begin To Think For Ourselves" (8:03)

While I must admit that I do not enjoy the music from this album as much as At the Soundless Dawn or The Fear Is Excriciating, But Therein Lies the Answer, I give Red Sparowes mega kudos for one of the cleverest song and album titling concepts ever.

Red Sparowes are as interesting for their song titles as they are for their instrumental Post Rock/Math Rock music. Though I heard Every Red Heart Beats... first, I have enjoyed all of the Sparowes output. This one still sounded fresh to me, even after hearing ...Red Heart... Though this is pretty straightforward Post/Math Rock, it is, for me, like the rock, the center, the epitome of all that defines the sub-genre. It'd be difficult to pick out song favorites or album highlights. I like the power and urgency of much of the music here. Even the droning beginning portion of the eleven-minute "Mechanical Sounds Cascaded through the City Walls..." has this awesome power to it.

1. "Alone and Unaware, the Landscape Was Transformed in Front of Our Eyes" (8:28) 2. "Buildings Began to Stretch Wide Across the Sky, and the Air Filled with a Reddish Glow" (7:23) 3. "The Soundless Dawn Came Alive as Cities Began to Mark the Horizon" (4:19) 4. "Mechanical Sounds Cascaded Though the City Walls and Everyone Reveled in Their Ignorance" (11:20) (17.25/20) 5. "A Brief Moment of Clarity Broke Through the Deafening Hum, but It Was Too Late" (5:59) 6. "Our Happiest Days Slowly Began to Turn into Dust" (5:40) 7. "The Sixth Extinction Crept Up Slowly, Like Sunlight Through the Shutters, as We Looked Back in Regret" (19:32) Twelve minutes of some of the best Post Rock that I've ever heard and then (look at the title) silence. Four minutes of silence. And then industrial and nature sounds begin to pop up till the song's finish. Awesome! (37/40)

Total Time 62:41

I guess the first four songs are my favorites--because of their power. Songs five and six are pretty but almost like a peaceful respite. The nineteen minute finale is another great one, every bit as as powerful as the first four. Overall, this is a solid four star album.

'The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer' - Red Sparowes (6/10)

An album and band that has received quite some acclaim in the more devout post-rock circles, US act Red Sparowes comes to my attention through their association with the legendary post-metal band Isis; now defunct. An album some people have waited four years for, the verbosely titled 'The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer' is undoubtedly an album that will appeal greatly to the style's closer adherents. However, while being an intelligently composed body of work, the sound here is unfortunately about as run-of-the-mill as a post-rock album can get.

Essentially a forty minute flowing piece of music, Red Sparowes embodies many of the traits that defines post-rock; repetition, driving rhythms, atmospheric leads, and tons of soundscaping. All of these are put together quite nicely here, but sparing the use of a steel pedal guitar, the music here feels like an amalgamation of every post-rock act that has come before. While some of the songs have melodies and ideas that distinguish them somewhat from the other tracks included, 'The Fear Is Excruciating...' also suffers from a somewhat 'samey' nature throughout, never breaking out of a single prescribed sound. Although it might be considered unfair to judge an album based on it's context, an arctic explorer would not achieve renown through tracing someone else's steps, and something similar seems to ring true with my feelings towards this album.

This criticism in mind, the band works quite well here, albeit within the constraints of the genre, at times even making some magical moments with their more inspired ideas. Intelligently arranged layers of guitars and minimalistic drum patterns are used here to make a greatly ethereal sound, perfect for a sort of reflective meditation. Perhaps Red Sparowes most (if only) distinctive trait is their use of the steel pedal guitar, which can give some of the tracks a somewhat country vibe to them. While the majority of the album revolves around the rising and falling dynamic of guitar textures, a couple of tracks do a better job of creating a memorable experience than others, most notably the first 'real' song 'In Illusions Of Order', and my personal favourite 'A Mutiny', which has enough memorable riffs written into it to make for a beautiful experience.

Red Sparowes isn't entirely convincing with their their third full-length effort, but the group's keen, albeit derivative compositional skills is duly noted. For some however, this might be a perfect album with which to be introduced to the world of post-rock; 'The Fear Is Excruciating...' features many of the style's most defining qualities.

Of all the "Post Rock/Math Rock" artists I've heard (and I try to listen to everyone I hear of cuz, for some reason, I really like this new subgenre of progressive music) Red Sparowes keeps me coming back. I not only enjoy their music, but I love the concepts they employ to inspire their songwriting. While not earth-shatteringly innovative, they are still testing the Math Rock structures--and all this while remaining an all-instrumental band. There are no bad songs; all songs make for good attentive listening as well as background music for work, etc. There are several slower, softer songs as well as the usual Post Rock power builders. The Oklahoma twang guitar is at time more prominent but also more enjoyable because it is such an unusual sound in the prog world.

This album is good enough to be recommended as an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.

Here is a post-rock album demonstrating an ear for melody, breathtaking, flowing passages, exceptional technical ability, and a shrewd use of repetition.

"Truth's Arise" Undemanding guitar picks out a cinematic, Western sound that could also be compared to Pink Floyd. The piece rises gradually, creating a grand prelude.

"The Illusions of Order" The band layers over a repetitive riff that would please most Porcupine Tree fans. It maintains that stagnant groove, working over it beautifully, before entering a new and more peaceful phase.

"A Hail of Bombs" I love the tones of these guitars, which dance gracefully around one another in a pleasant display. The second half is a heavier contrast, but it maintains a sense of fluidity and refinement.

"Giving Birth to Imagined Saviors" Delicate melodies and harmonies flow from multiple electric guitars so sweetly that it is difficult not to feel at peace at first, and then uplifted as the band takes on the music at full force. Breaking away from their established sound for a bit, the band adopts a slightly different tone during the middle.

"A Swarm" With yet another placid beginning, laced with a steel guitar tone and occasionally gritty rhythm, the listener is treated to more relaxing music before the entire band enters in a cacophonous manner. I must admit I'm not fond of the middle section here, as it's grating and mars an otherwise lovely work.

"In Every Mind" Blending country and grunge sensibilities, this terse piece builds into a heavy, repetitiveness.

"A Mutiny" A fine display of musical craftsmanship, using subtle dynamics, effective guitar effects, the penultimate piece creates a wide variety of emotional textures in under six minutes.

"As Each End Looms and Subsides" This final work is incredibly repetitive, this time to a fault. Even when it becomes something different, it turns into a sputtering, unpleasant mess. The passage afterward quickly morphs into a wailing, almost painful wave of distortion. The final piece is the only major blemish on an otherwise remarkable post-rock endeavor.

Four long years fans of Red Sparowes waited for what they will bring. Let's see how it ended.

With interesting and original intro (and I heard few dozens of Post Rock albums), they continue in half "good old Post Rock" way, half "something new and original" way, while new elements and methods how to manage to sound interesting are prevalent. When compared to for example GYBE's "Lift Your Skinny Fists etc", this is like Red Sparowes are following completely different structure. Yes, album name is again extremely long (this is Post Rock trademark as I realized), there are no 4 tracks, each divided into intro, graduating, climax, noise, outro. Here, songs follows different path.

Again, PR release is not so much about facts, but about emotions, about feelings. And this is very well performed, composed album that offers many new ideas and proves that this genre has still something to say even in the world of Prog.

4(+), very nice one.

It's not been too long since I began to become seriously acquainted with the work of American post-rock outfit Red Sparowes, but I have grown to enjoy and appreciate their material and musical vision quite quickly. "The Fear is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer" is the band's 2010 release, for starters, a very muscular effort that aims at preserving the essential intensity of contemporary art-rock. Isis is naturally a strong reference to their core sound, and so are Mogwai, Neurosis and Tortoise to a certain degree: that is, their approach to texture and atmosphere is clearly differentiated from the orchestrated doom we find in GYBE! albums or the stylish colorfulness delivered in Do Make Say Think releases. Originally an Isis off-shoot, it is evident that Red Sparowes has a creative channel of its own and exploits its potential with conviction and power. While I don't happen to enjoy this third long-duration CD as much as any of the first two, I remain a loyal admirer of the band's sonic deliveries. It feels like the entrance of newcoming guitarist Emma Ruth Rundle has worked as a catalyst of renewed energy within the instrumental developments. 'Truths Arise' is the brief prelude that anticipates in a very controlled way the powerful density that is about to dominate the album's repertoire; despite its shortness, it shows a consistent signal of soaring magnificence. 'In Illusions Of Order' bears a lovely articulation of guitar riffs and harmonies in a mesmerizing crescendo that builds on an initial languidness and ultimately peaks at the 4 ½ minute mark. The next thing is a motif that echoes the initial languidness partially, with a rhythmic scheme that provides a recurrent tension that finally ends up in a terrific climax. Lovely piece!... If Only it had been just a little bit Langer? 'A Hail Of Bombs' bears a more extroverted aura, even lyrical at the starting point. Once we get to the 2 minute mark, things begin to get as explosive as you should expect from the title. This passage of delightful energetic textures ultimately leads to a calm closure. 'Giving Birth To Imagined Saviors' begins on an intriguing, minimalistic note, in this way installing an epic ambience wrapped in a constrained framework. Past the 4 minute mark, things shift from the epic to the dense in a spotless display of fluidity. 'A Swarm' states a sense of evocative lyricism throughout the varying motifs: the sonic framework becomes gradually more powerful, but the implicit brightness does not get to explode as much as in previous pieces, and eventually, things return to the initial calmness before the end. This track can be described as a work of recapitulation of the moods previously captured in 'In Illusions Of Order' and 'A Hail Of Bombs', only with a more pronounced eeriness ? so far, these three tracks may be pointed out as highlights in the album. The lyrical aspect continues to be relevant and crucial in the next piece, 'In Every Mind', while 'A Mutiny' brings a soft series of jazzy moods in both the atmosphere and the rhythmic duo's cadences. At the 3'30 mark, we can spot the possibility of a major increase in rocking power, but it remains a tentative variation within a well-ordained architecture. The closer 'As Each End Looms And Subsides' is yet another highlight. The multiple guitars elaborate an appealing wall-of-sound in which tension and spacey moods become one single sonic force. This combination of robust and cosmic features makes in no small degree the whole RS ideology, and in the case of this particular track, the incarnation turns out to be a revealing epitome. "The Fear Is Excrutiacing But Therein Lies The Answer" is, all in all, an exciting experience - as time goes by and new ideas emerge, Red Sparowes solidifies its position in the post-rock scene.