Through the Sparks
Birmingham, Alabama, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
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 - Multiple snips
Discography
Coin Toss, 2005 EP
AudioIotas, 2006 LP
Lazarus Beach, 2007 LP
2010 Singles Monthly Releases
Worm Moon Waning LP
Almanac (mmx) LP
Photos
Bio
Through the Sparks brand of "basement-baroque, mid-fi" psychedelia is one based in American roots music. After forming in 2003, the Birmingham, Alabama quintet released two EPs, Coin Toss in 2005 and AudioIotas in 2006, before turning in an LP in 2007. Pitchfork media called Lazarus Beach "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." The album, which the band recorded in its basement studio, went on to become Barnes and Noble's highest selling "rock" record for a few days, due to critical praise. They played as many shows as they could, including several appearances over the past three years at CMJ and SXSW.
2010... Through the Sparks follows up with it's latest LP, Worm Moon Waning. Having learned their lesson from a couple of forays into "proper" studios, the band returned to the basement to cut the nine tracks picked for Worm Moon Waning. It was cut mostly live.
Horns and background vocals fleshed out the record. In contrast to Lazarus Beach, Worm Moon Waning doesn't host a single sound that didn't travel through air and hit a mic... The result is a record with a stronger presence -- one that, while not at all stripped down, is focused and dynamic. It comes and goes in just around 38 minutes... 76 if you play it twice. It continues to receive continuous airplay on XM and Sirius radio.
In the spring of 2011, Through the Sparks released "Almanac (MMX)" a collection of singles recorded in 2010. The band recorded and released a song every month for download through its web site. This is the compilation of the work.
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