Sparta Album: “Threes”

...all these things about using piano, sounding like the Beatles, Radiohead, and U2, re-defining their sound, etc.

When was the last time you actually listened to Wiretap Scars? I listened to it yesterday, as well as Porcelain, as well as Threes (went to see them last night so was gearing up for the show) and I must say I think Threes is great. Personally, it feels like an expansion of Wiretap Scars for me - almost a more complete sound. The songwriting seems tighter, the arrangements better, they seem to be better musicians. I guess if you like something more raw and unrefined then you might not like Threes, but I don't think it's good enough to not like something just because it doesn't sound like something you've already heard. If you want to hear Wiretap Scars, listen to Wiretap Scars.

LONG LIVE SPARTA!!

I must agree with doomsdayer520 & "David Smith"...Their reviews basically say it all...Sparta need to quit redefining and find their soul within...This is a band that has the capability to say something,but they haven't said it yet...Until next time...

It certainly isn't their BEST as far as I am concerned, but I agree with the guy who said you dont want to hear the same stuff over and over.

Their are a few songs such as Red, Right , Return that rock as well as Untreatable Disease and Taking back control. They do have a bit of U2ishness to this Album but I hate to think they Tried to do that.

It just makes me want to see whats up after this CD. Cant wait to see them in a few days. If you have NEVER heard a Sparta Cd, maybe buy Wiretap Scars first, but this is Worthy for sure.

If you've heard anything about this rising bunch of rockers from El Paso, then you might know that they're half of what used to be known as At the Drive In, those now-defunct sorcerers of distortion-soaked hardcore punk. But don't let that fool you. Sparta's sound boasts as much testosterone but less of the angst of their forefathers. And if the only thing At the Drive-In is remembered for is Cedric's big hair, they've got Sparta to thank for it. Trading the angsty abandon of ATDI's "Acrobatic Tenement" for the softened but still-present edges of "Threes", Sparta has found a way to risk the leap from ATDI's adolescent mania to a sound that some might be tempted to describe with the word that has poisoned many careers in music--hold your nose now--"mature."

But that's just the thing about Sparta-if we must call them "mature" in our useless comparisons with their predecessors, they find a way to do it without sounding so bored you think they're just singing along to their grandpa's record collection. In fact, the lush, sonic roller coaster of "The Guns of Memorial Park" or the many searing rockers here on "Threes" burst from the stereo like exploding stars, the blistering hooks of Keeley Davis's guitar riding Jim Ward's soaring vocals into the unexplored reaches of your dreams. "Threes" is easily their most focused work yet, and it sports a more cohesive and muscular rock sound that boasts an identity and voice they hadn't found until now.

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After the moderately disappointing Porcelain, there was some doubt over whether Sparta would push on as a band. While Threes arrived with the sort of fanfare absence that would suggest that this might be the last gasp of a disappearing dream, the result is anything but a wheeze. This third album still sounds markedly different than their startlingly strong debut; it combines the elements that worked best on their last album with some of their strong techniques honed so well on Wiretap Scars.

Eleven of the twelve tracks are very good (only "Without a Sound" is lacking, but even that one probably won't have you reaching for the skip button). The epic "The Most Vicious Game" is basically a blueprint of the sort of stuff they do best, notably transitioning the whisper to the thunder, "Taking Back Control" is a solid rager, and "Crawl" is gloom and grind in a tidy but electrifying package. Although it seems for certain now that they'll never top their first album, at least they're progressing in a direction that promises success. In a year full of disappointments, this one actually meets and even exceeds the expectations.

Best cuts: "Crawl," "The Most Vicious Game," "Taking Back Control," "Atlas," "False Start," "Untreatable Disease," "Erase It Again," "Translations," "Unstitch Your Mouth," "Weather the Storm," "Red.Right.Return (Straight in Our Hands)"