by PR!

It’s 11pm. The lights are off, so the only glow in the room comes from the computer screen. It’s windy and raining outside and seemingly just as cold inside, which explains my sweatshirt and beanie. The coffee machine idles on warm, mixing the smokey air with stale whiffs of store brand Columbian. And now, the Red Sparowes make sense to me. I understand the function; I may not “get it”, but I understand in a way that a cat, while having no comprehension of even the most simplistic fundamentals of electricity, understands that the top of the TV is a warm place to lay and languor. Fans of Red Sparowes harps on their fluidity, their “epicness”, but they’re more of a soundtrack to life’s formidable conclusion. There are no playful electronic parts (ala M83) or strong prog rock vocals (akin to The Mars Volta). Instead, the listener gets positioned into the sidecar of a motorcycle, with a full view of the direction but no real control or idea on how they’ll get there. Their debut album, “At The Soundless Dawn” comes off as passive-aggressive music. Not something you can stick into a friends CD player on the way to the mall, exclaiming “check this shit out, bro!” But it’s also not too dreamy and saturating, avoiding the bleak dance pop fabric that similar acts tend to weave themselves into. It’s members, with résumé’s that include Neurosis, Isis, Halifax Pier and The Cignal, will have you considering, but thankfully not hearing, a sound akin to any of the groups mentioned. This is not your typical Neurot band, but why should it be? Instrumental without being so (there are lyrics seasoned here and there), the Red Sparowes are your exhaustion of everyday music and the sampling of the new metaphor that is orchestrated rock. Perhaps a few words with the band?

Since most of the members have current or past big name bands, I’ve got to ask; is Red Sparowes a project or an active group?
Red Sparowes is an active group; we are very full time, although touring revolves around our respective Neurosis and Isis duties, but that still leaves more than enough time for us to accomplish what we need to.

Why “Sparowes” and not “Sparrows”? What does Red Sparowes mean, anyways?
The original idea of using the word ‘sparrows’ came from the words of T.S. Eliot; the imagery his writings conjures felt very fitting to the idea and sound of our group. We added red to that because it is more focused, presenting a mood or tone to the name, as well as making it more unique. The spelling for ‘sparowes’ was taken from the old English spelling, also more identifying; it fit better in that regard.

Ah. So, was the lack of lead vocals in Red Sparowes an active or a passive decision?
There actually are vocals on this recording, although treated and effected, they blend seamlessly into varying parts of the music. The lack of using “lead vocals” was a very active decision. We have always been very up front about the fact that we may decide to use more obvious vocals in our music, but it will come about when it feels natural, when we feel it is right for us.

Will there be any vinyl pressings of current or future releases?
Yes, Robotic Empire is releasing “At the Soundless Dawn” in the US on vinyl accompanying the CD release, as well a split 12” with Gregor Samsa containing one new song and a demo version of one of the CD songs. Hypertension will be releasing the full length European vinyl, which will also be different from the US version.

Nice. Speaking of, it feels like there is a underlying theme behind “At the Soundless Dawn”...?
There is an underlying theme to this record. The literature on the subject is almost limitless, but it basically breaks down to this: There have previously been five “mass extinction events” on earth that have been scientifically realized, dating back from 440 million years ago. These events have resulted in the extinction of 19% - 54% of all species on earth at each specific time period. The first five events have been cause by natural elements, including the known impacts with meteors and the like. We are currently experiencing the sixth extinction event, which is the first one to be caused by a single species on our planet, which happens to be humanity.

www.redsparowes.com