Damp fields and broken limbs. Black holes and quasars. Empty barns and dirt roads. Earthworms and basements. The well-songs and broken lullabies are performed by singer/guitarist Joshua Britton, drummer Daniel Harvie and bassist Johnny Bee; Mike Brenner (aka Slo-Mo) accompanies the band frequently to live shows. The sound is stark but dynamic, dark but illuminating. Some occasional disquieting stares accompany live performances.
The walls bend out.
Ceilings fall.
Here's what some people who are respectable have also said:
"The Sweetheart Parade's Joshua Britton provide(s) a lonely, desolate tone" and "brings home the 'Soothe your soul' award."
--Jim DiGiuseppe from The Clog/citypaper.net
"Throughout Smaller Constellations, a predominant theme is the elements, constantly referencing the sky, the ocean and the land...Unlike many artists that fit the minimalistic, lo-fi, and acoustic subgenres, The Sweetheart Parade write catchy tunes that can easily stick in your head. What My Darkness Shows, The Sky Hasn’t Moved and The Ocean Song are all immediately hook-filled and memorable...Smaller Constellations is a great debut for a new band."
--Andrew Fense, FensePost.com
"[cue What My Darkness shows]...a wind-swept plain. tall grass leaning in the wind. the heavy breathing and hard thuds of flesh meeting ground, of bone hitting bone, of mortal combat, can be heard. our man falls to his knees, victorious but at what cost? We instinctively feel that it is spring, chilly. his sweat-soaked hair falling around his face and shoulders. Blood all over everything. '...holy moses, holy moses, I've been saaaaaaved...'"
--Jake Kline
"The Sweetheart Parade speaks to the pariahs, the damned, the lost ghosts stumblin' within us. A picture painted with shades of gray, yet it shines salvation. Everything and nothing is sacred. Unraveling the blanket that makes you warm, but giving you the blade that keeps you safe."
--Dan Gallagher from Big River
"...hauntingly beautiful. [The] music makes us weak at the knees. Amen."
--Jeffrey Mitchell from The Modern Hypocrites
"'The Blood That Didn't Take' left me limp and lying on the floor. It's a mighty, mighty stride."
--Laura Walsh from Forgetful Francis
Now available are the debut solo album, "Smaller Constellations", as well as the follow-up EP's "Heartwood" and "Communion". They can be purchased here above, or at sweetheartparade.com when it fully re-opens, where you'll be able to read more about the albums and other things.
The band has completed recording and is currently mixing the album "Sings Like a Priest" at Hear the Ocean Studio with Ken Kelemen, set to be released in September 2008. Meanwhile, The Sweetheart Parade continues to climb out of bed, put on its best black dress, and consume thunder. We love you. A little.
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