After running an initial interview with Greg of Red Sparowes a few months ago, as well as reviewing their latest album some time before that, we encounter our second meeting with Red Sparowes. Check out the interview below!
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Label mates Red Sparowes and Fang Island have been touring together for the past month or so. After all that time together, who reigns supreme? Nick Wan asked those hard hitting questions that is sure to stir up a controversy. Check the video below to see what each band said about who has better taste in beer, food, and cover songs.
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Red Sparowes
About to hit the road in support of their newest album, Red Sparowes are amped to release their best work yet. Although, many questions do arise in terms of new works: how was it written? How will it be live? And the most important question to many fans, when is the next album after the April 6th release of The Fear is Excruciating, But Therein Lies the Answer? Bassist Greg Burns of Red Sparowes helps us answer these questions and more.
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Nick Wan: Aphorisms does have the song entitled, “The Fear is Excruciating, But Therein Lies the Answer”, which is the name of the upcoming album. Was this always intended? Did the song come before the album, or was the album themed after the ideas of the song?
Greg Burns: The song came first and was part of what spawned the concept for the album. The Aphorisms E.P. was written as three distinct pieces and we liked the idea of taking the last song and using it as a transition into the full length.
NW: What are some differences between The Fear is Excruciating, But Therein Lies the Answer and Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun? Was the production, writing process, conceptualization, or anything else any different from how you approached creating The Fear is Excruciating?
GB: There are a lot of differences. We had a bigger budget for the The Fear… and had the previous experience of working with Toshi Kasai on Aphorisms, so we were able to get a lot done in a relatively small amount of time. The Fear… was also recorded using Pro-Tools, as opposed to 2″ tape with Tim Green. While I love what Tim did with Every Red Heart…, it was nice to work digitally and really experiment with sonic layers in ways we couldn’t really do before. We also had a new approach to song writing which, while always democratic, took a much needed turn in terms of scope. With the lineup change we really focused on writing songs that we were excited by, and not so much what we thought people might want or expect from us.
NW: How many songs did Red Sparowes have going into the studio to record The Fear is Excruciating…? Of course, only eight of those songs made the album. But for the other tracks, will they ever be released in some form? Maybe re-written for the next record?
GB: We recorded 9 and a half songs. The 9th song will definitely be used in the future, probably for a split or a compilation. The other half song will be added to a list of unfinished songs that may or may not make the cut.
NW: With the addition of Emma Rundle (guitar) to the band, what does she bring that is different than what Josh Graham (former guitar) brought to the band? Between the release of Aphorisms to the recording of The Fear is Excruciating…, how much of a role did Emma have in the song writing process?
GB: Emma definitely has a different musical voice, but one that is much more consistent with the direction we’ve been wanting to go. She’s extremely talented and, perhaps most importantly, very open to experimenting and trying new things. Before Emma was in the band things felt very limited in terms of scope. Obviously her personality is very different too. Emma is a pleasure to work with and is very patient and fun to be around. Having her in the band has changed the dynamic in many ways, and I think it’s safe to say we’re all feeling reinvigorated.
NW: We grew up here around the Bay Area, so Neurosis isn’t a stranger to us. This new album, we’re all seeing a change from your old record label Neurot Recordings (founded by members of Neurosis, amongst others) to Sargent House. What was the motivation(s) behind the change in label?
GB: After meeting Cathy at Sargent House I was really interested in her approach to running a label. It’s not so much a label as a company that encompasses many more aspects to putting out a record. SH hasn’t been at all afraid to take chances and has a really fresh and relevant approach to running a label in the current environment. At first she just worked with us as our manager, but after seeing her incredible work ethic and dedication, as well as getting a better understanding into how Sargent House works, we were excited to be a part of that.
NW: There is some pretty intricate layering of instruments on this new album. After recording an album like The Fear is Excruciating…, how hard is it to imagine the studio version of a song being played live? Are there any adjustments as far as personnel or instrumentation is concerned when trying to perform these tracks live, or are you all just awesome enough to make it sound as if your live show is a doppelganger of your studio recordings?
GB: Actually there really weren’t that many layers of instrumentation added. Sure, we doubled some tracks and played around a bit, but these songs live will definitely be an accurate representation of the studio versions. In the past, our live shows have always been heavier; having not played these songs live much it’s hard to say, but I’d imagine the dynamics might change a bit – but not in a major way.
We also always try to leave room for some variation and improvisation in our live set, so it’s safe to say we’ll be taking some creative liberties, but that’s more to keep things fresh and interesting, and doesn’t come out of any inability to play the songs as they were recorded.
So, yeah. We’re that awesome.
NW: After listening to the new album a few times I can imagine some of these songs, like “Giving Birth to Imagined Saviors”, to be pretty epic to witness live. What live elements will Red Sparowes introduce with their songs to make the live show more of an experience?
GB: We’ll definitely have projections, as we always have. I’m excited to say that the projections definitely tie into the songs more; we really wanted the visuals as well as the artwork for the album to help express our own interpretation of the songs and related concept.
NW: The album is set to release in April and Red Sparowes is dated to tour for over a month straight starting at the end of March. How much more touring will there be this coming Summer? Any festival plans?
GB: We’re definitely going to Europe in the Fall, and hopefully Japan and Australia. That’s as far as we’ve planned currently, although I’d imagine we’ll do the US again early next year and start playing festivals in the US and Europe.
NW: What bands out there right now do you believe will be getting more attention this year? What are some new albums Red Sparowes have been listening to as of late?
GB: As far as some newer bands; AA Bondy, Fang Island – I’m really excited to be touring with them in April. I love that recent Karen O and the Kids soundtrack for “Where the Wild Things Are”. I haven’t been paying that much attention lately; I’ve kind of immersed myself in old country as I’ve started to study traditional pedal steel guitar.
NW: I know that this new album is still in its infancy (technically unborn until April 6th), but your last full length album came out in 2006. Will Red Sparowes fans have to wait another four years for another full length?
GB: Definitely not. We’re already working on songs for a new record and it won’t be long until we’re in the studio again!
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Red Sparowes’ album, The Fear is Excruciating, But Therein Lies the Answer, is out April 6th. You can check out Red Sparowes at their website, their MySpace, or their Twitter. Also, don’t be afraid to check out the other Sargent House bands via their website or their tweets as well. And last but not least, you can always check out 402 Productions on Twitter for news, reviews, and whatnot.
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Check us out on iTunes, yo. (Opens in a new window, and then opens iTunes.)
In this: News, Fang Island interview, Red Sparowes, Local Natives, This is Our Fight, and jj
Errors: I think I mistake This is Our Fight’s song “Easy AM” for the song “Across the Sky”.
Music by:
Alvin Pingol
It’s hard not to lose yourself in the music. Eminem said that once, didn’t he? Well, Mr. Shady was correct. It’s definitely hard not to jump into an album and get immersed by feelings. Sometimes we jump into some bad music, filled with nasty production or unfulfilling melodies, and we’re left with… well, bad feelings. And those are still feelings I suppose. But how much does it take for an artist to evoke good feelings? Enter, The Fear Is Excurciating, But Therein Lies the Answer by LA’s Red Sparowes.
I personally have had an affinity to Red Sparowes by association. My ex-roommate, Matt Jehly, introduced me to many of these instrumental post-rock bands ranging from Godspeed You! Black Emperor to Neurosis to Red Sparowes. Many a night spent drinking and playing video games with a playlist of post-rock blasting. But nostalgia aside, Red Sparowes musically do induce these similar feely-goody-feelings.
Some might call it “thinkingman’s music”. Record label-mates Russian Circles seem to occupy a post-rock niche more along the lines of mosh pits and head banging whereas Fang Island seems to occupy more of a dance party high fiving category. Red Sparowes might not have the throwback metal breakdown jive that Russian Circles produce at times, nor do they dance jam to a 4/4 beat in a major key, but there is something these fellows do that their other instrumental friends might not do: expand emotion. As the title suggests, where fear is experienced an answer is hidden. Each song off this album represents another journey, accompanied with a darker, sinister tone. Through the thoughts shot through your mind lies an answer. To what? It’s your puzzle, not mine. One you can choose to solve or not. Within that is the answer the Red Sparowes might be hinting towards.
Doesn’t let down. I love that, by the way. When an album sets a pace and it follows through with the pace… not breaking the momentum with some slow, off-ballad, just to flex musical muscle. Manymanymany bands seem to have a problem with arranging which songs make it on an album, as well as screwing up the order of songs on an album. Some albums might have the right songs on the album in the wrong order, and that is the deal breaker. Luckily for Red Sparowes, this album is flawless as far as pace and production goes. Also, the instrumentation and arrangement of each song seems to take on their own identities. This skill is also lost to many indie post-rock bands. Emotion is not verbally emoted in these kind of albums… so what separates the sound of one song from another? Imagination through song writing. There is a story behind each song, surely. And when you stick to your story, there is no gray areas between tracks. And that is a feat, believe me. In other reviews, what I just described is what I usually akin “expansion of sound” or “variance in style” or something like that to. Red Sparowes definitely exhibits a great control of their own style while being able to channel many other forms in their music. Many bands either go too extreme and seem like they have split personalities on an album (sometimes nice, but very hard to make well) or stick themselves into one style with no real variety to their style (usually boring and hard to enjoy if you are a new listener). Red Sparowes does a very good job maximizing their sound on each song, leaving the rest up to the listener. Finally, as I pointed out in my Joanna Newsom review, some bands take the route of creating an albums-worth of stand-alone songs in hopes that the songs created make up a great album. Red Sparowes themselves have pointed to this idea as a way they ended up creating this album. In my opinion, I enjoy these types of albums more, usually.
Hard to pinpoint a con, really. Although there might be some, as far as fans are concerned. Now, I will admit that this is the first Red Sparowes album I’ve listened to from beginning to end on my own will, which makes me not the best candidate to point fingers, but from what I’ve heard from previous albums, Red Sparowes have taken a different route in their sound.
Now, you can be the judge. In my opinion, their sound hasn’t drastically changed, especially in the sense that it has changed for the worse. However, if I may conclude, their previous full-length efforts were created with an idea/theme that was tackled in form of a full album. What I mean is that all their songs and representing one story, or one idea, or one theme. Within that, it’s easier to allow longer forms of styles to be represented on an album. So, you could have your hard, crashing, mega distortion part of the album extend for an entire song if warranted. On this new album, each song is representing a stand-alone theme of fear and truth. In this form, your hard, crashing parts no longer can extend five minutes or longer since each song only lasts anywhere from two to eight minutes. Which brings me to what I’ve heard through the grapevine… and by the grapevine I mean Matt Jehly, the one who is writing up the interview questions for Red Sparowes. He has said that the past albums seem to be more heavy at times, a selling point to Matt. Of course, there isn’t a lull of heavy on this album… but rather, shorter heavier parts to allow for stand-alone songs. From what I can tell, the band has progressed positively in their sound without tampering with what their core sound is comprised of. All the elements are still there, just interpreted differently. I don’t know if that’s a con (it’s not really a con for myself) but to represent the hardcore fans of Red Sparowes, I view your opposition.
People who will like this album: people who enjoyed my recommendation of The American Dollar and Russian Circles. Any post-rock lovers. Any instrumental lovers. Other people who would like this album: people who listen to some sort of closet-music (I’m a closet Blue Oyster Cult fan), people who debate whether to spend your merch money on the album or a shirt, people who always want to be front and center of a live show but wishes the sound quality was like the quality when you stand in the back of the venue.
So, earlier this year I said I’d be waiting on an album that could possibly shove The American Dollar in or out of the running for album of the year. Well, since there seems to be a strong representation of post-rock coming out lately, Red Sparowes and The American Dollar seem to have a strong case for a nomination nod… but I still hold my reservations for now. Although a great album, I would like to still see some more post-rock emerge before suggesting that the post-rock scene is back in full effect. There are definitely strong bands representing the genre as of right now, but I would like to see a few more newcomers out there. Until then, Red Sparowes will have to wait just like The American Dollar on a nomination until June.
P.S. As I said before, Matt Jehly will be conducting an interview with them which will go up very soon. I’ll keep you posted!!
