Through the Sparks of Birmingham, Ala., recently finished its second full-length recording, a follow-up to 2007's "Lazarus Beach," the band's third release with Skybucket Records.
"Worm Moon Waning" was recorded and produced by the band at its home studio—christened Alamalibu, after the car that resided in its first location.
Through the Sparks' and Alamalibu's current home is a basement in east Birmingham... a stone's toss fromthe Bottletree venue, which has been a focal point of Birmingham's pulsating and incestuous music scene.
"Lazarus Beach" earned critical praise from Pitchfork, Allmusic Guide, Alarm Magazine, Pop Matters, etc., and thousands downloaded it. The music was called everything from baroque-blues to psychedelic rock, to progressive-folk ... noisy orchestral-pop, the ever-vague "Americana," piano-rock, guitar-rock, art-pop, lit-rock, jangle-pop ... among other descriptions. The record was sprawling in its intentions and represented a lot of what the band creates, in a dense 37 minutes.
"Worm Moon Waning" was pared down from nearly 20 songs, to a more focused nine.
This record has a much more live feel. In fact, for nearly half the record, engineer Lynn Bridges (Devendra Banhardt) was brought in over a snowy three-day weekend to man the controls so the band could record while playing in the same room together. The result is a much more intense dynamic in the ebb and flow of the songs.
Plans for recording another record are in the works as the band plays shows in the fall, including CMJMusic Marathon and Next Big Nashville. Through the Sparks has been very fortunate to play shows with Midlake, The Great Lake Swimmers, The French Kicks, Earlimart, White Rabbits,Taylor Hollingsworth, 13ghosts, Vulture Whale, etc...
Reviews for Lazarus Beach
"Lazarus Beach is a sophisticated sprawl of sound and songs, with
elements of power pop, 70s singer/songwriter, prog, indie guitar rock,
and even some smooth southern soul."
-Pitchfork
“The sterling indie pop of Lazarus Beach is a welcome breath of fresh air from a band that clearly loves music without pretense or posturing. Each track is finely tuned to appeal to the music geek in every listener, full of bouncy, loping piano melodies and softly-muted horns that support verbose, clever lyrics.”
-Paste Magazine Online / Band of the Week
"...sure to be one of the most satisfying records all year."
-Alarm
"Hard to pigeonhole but easy to appreciate, Through the Sparks are a bright star ready to shine for the right audience."
-PopMatters
"Lazarus Beach is a huge triumph..."
-Southeast Performer
"Remember the name Jody Nelson, because you'll soon be hearing it mentioned with the likes of Jeff Tweedy, Ron Sexsmith, and A.C. Newman."
-Quick Before It Melts
"This is a 2007 favorite of mine, definitely."
-Sound Machine Dream
"Brimming with indie zeal and uncanny illustrations, the 13 tracks resonate with guitar-and-piano pop that is meticulously crafted and peppered with imagery..."
-Glide Magazine
"…It's enough to make you regain faith in American music. It also helps that the music itself is easy on the ears: a thinking feller's mix of guitar and piano rock that's both down-home and sophisticated."
-3hive
"When the intricate soundscapes and melancholy harmonies bring to mind Wilson's "Smile," Wilco's "Summerteeth" and the Waterboys' "This Is the Sea," it's happy slogging."
-GoodNewMusic.com
“lyrically clever and musically dense, the record always features something interesting to focus on...”
-Red Blondehead (blog)
“though the sentiments are dark and the faintly trippy production disquieting, the band still makes the music bright and even cheery, as though urging everyone to join in for one big apocalyptic sing-along.”
-Gibson Guitars.com
“[Through the Sparks] are mining that glorious territory of 70s pop/rock and adding a new level of world wariness to give their record a modern feel.”
-Upstatebeat.com
“With an other worldly musical camaraderie and tasteful sensibilities they maintain a perfect balance of grim playfulness, subtle depth and engrossing melody.”
-The Asheville Disclaimer
“They sound like they've been kicking out the jams … for years; consequently, their on-stage chemistry flows effortlessly.”
-Birmingham Weekly
Reviews for Coin Toss
“A delicate mélange of melodrama, suspense, and excitement. Odd visions laced with just enough grim, ironic humour … Delicious.”
-Evil Sponge
“Trippy music for smart people … Through the Sparks are a band with talent and imagination.”
-All Music Guide
“A jean jackets and painkillers record: hopeful yet pessimistic, hazy. An exceptional beginning for a band we should expect progressively greater things from.”
-Tiny Mix Tapes
“The perfect amount of grim humor.”
-Magnet
“It's a tragedy that so many folks are missing out on them.”
Red Blondehead (blog)
“The perfect beginning that any indie label or rock outfit could boast.”
-Smother.net
“Through the Sparks can weave some complex arrangements, and the sheer variety of instrumentation crammed into this mini-recording is worth a few pats on the back.”
-Southeast Performer
“Every moment of this band’s debut 6 song E.P. seems as well thought out as a dissertation, but one that you would want to read.”
-Earfood.net
“A roving band of vocalists chatter and coo in front of grand pianos, behind bouncing banjos, and over squishy synth lines that sound torn from a Tron sequel. You'll hear a band working together as a cohesive entity and what sounds like a song recorded solo into a child's toy boombox.”
-Tiny Mix Tapes
HI THROUGH the SPARKS THX FOR THE ADD REALLY LIKE YOUR SOUNDS MAN !!! CHECK IN ANYTIME YOU LIKE & HAVE FUN WITH MY MUSIC FRIEND... BIG CHEERS FROM COPENHAGEN –MICHAEL
hey, im on the virtual street team for my favorite band, STS9. their new single Phoneme is an amazing electronic jam. check out the link and thanks SO much for the support. the song is available for free stream here http://bit.ly/soundtribe
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October 14th at Bottletree: The Birmingham Tapes CD Release with acoustic sets by: Wild Sweet Orange, The Great Book of John, Through the Sparks, Henry Dunkle, Spells, and Red Harp.
How are you, Through the Sparks? Haven't checked in on you lately, so I swung by to say "HI" &hope you are feeling well! Listen, I have another track up on my page, "Attack Of The Mushroom People." You can hear it right now, if you'd like at: www.myspace.com/psychedelicpablo adios! Pablo
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Thanks for the friendship.. Hope you enjoy the music and message behind it. My mission in life is to fight Human Trafficking. understanding the individual pain of others is sometimes to painful for an other individual to touch and that is frightening ...what i mean is that someone whose life is not traumatized and brutalized as a regular sequence of every day events unconsciously seeks the camouflage and shelter of apathy and banality from the reality of such devastating anguish and terror ...but the spirit of young people who are used as sex slaves in the systematized global industry of human trafficking is now reaching out to the human fellowship in hope and desperation and through technology ...it is scary when humanity turns a blind eye to this horror ...its like ignoring genocide whilst it is happening ...what i am asking is that if you hear the cry of these young people who are existing in an environment of torture and brutality each and every day that you then please do not turn away from them ...please reach deeply into your heart and soul and please in 2009 join a movement or become a part of an event that challenges modern slavery in the 21st century ...
