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Finally. After many
sleepless nights of anticipation the first full LP from Sparta has arrived. Sans Afro, the short-haired fellas
of the now defunct masterpiece At the Drive-In have regrouped with the addition of bassist Matt Miller, and picked up where
ATDI left off last year. This sonic excursion, they feel, is more mature than their previous gig. To prove it
Sparta released an EP earlier this year called Austere. Composed of three songs and a de-mix, Austere quaffed my wariness
of how one could follow up the intense beauty and angst of ATDI's last LP, Relationship of Command. Well crafted songs
all of them, and singer Jim Ward's raspy howl is strikingly similar to Cedric Bixler (Bixler and guitarist Omar Rodriguez,
the guys with hair-a-plenty, are now heading the other post ATDI band, Mars Volta). The highlight of the EP is found
in the raucuous Cataract, with its doubled monotone vocals and innovative guitar romps. Just enough to get music critics
buzzing for a full-length LP.
The LP Wiretap Scars was released in August and caught the attention of every journalist
and critic looking for the next big thing. Rolling Stone touted them as one of the ten artists to watch this year.
And their phenomenal performance this summer while on tour with Weezer and Dashboard Confessional has engrained them
in the minds of kids across the country. With all the songs from the EP, Wiretap Scars expands the band's self-labeled
sound of "Tejemo" (Tejano emo) into a mix of rowdy and tender that continually catches the ear, even when one is not intentioanlly
listening. Wonderful songs like Light Burns Clear adorn this record, with every song strong and independent, yet meshing
together to form a unit so beautiful...
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