Spotlight: Make Sparks

Whilst 2011 has seen no real change in pace in terms of musical trends this year has produced some fine examples of underground talent. Whilst the charts are still swamped with Beyonce and Gaga clones beneath the surface some new players have begun to emerge who prove that music isn't completely bereft of hope. This is certainly the case as far as Make Sparks are concerned.

I first found out about these plucky young Scottish gents last week when I saw them live supporting fellow Scotts Sucioperro. Whilst very few support acts rarely win genuine applause this year I've come across two or three support acts that have not only won my applause but also won me over completely. Make Sparks are one of these bands. The bands trademark sound is characterised by accessible rock guitars beautiful three part harmonies and lovely melodic reverb sections. The bands soft tracks are very reminiscent of american emo giants Jimmy Eat World yet at the same time some of the bands material is more fiesty and raucous with a swagger completely of their own.

After about five or so tracks the band soon departed and at the end of the night I was lucky enough to bump into the lead singer and buy their independently released album Rewound at the merch booth. Since then in spite of the other new acquisitions to my extensive music library I keep going back to Rewound. The album is full to the brim with talent and ideas and rarely have I seen such a fledgling act produce such a coherent debut. Rewound is available from the band's bandcamp that I have linked below for the amazing bargain price of £2.99 and I would highly recommend giving it a bash. Definitely a band to watch.

Make Sparks Bandcamp:
 http://makesparksband.bandcamp.com/

Make Sparks Facebook:
 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Make-Sparks/312603400251/

Make Sparks Website:
http://www.makesparksband.com/

David Lynch - Crazy Clown Time

David Lynch - Crazy Clown Time
Genre: Experimental/Alternative
Rating: 6/10

Music is not the first thing that comes to mind where David Lynch is concerned. A prominent director for most of his career so far an album without a movie or short film to accompany it seems like a strange move for the 65 year old. Lynch's first dabbling with the music industry started way back in the late 80's with him contributing to various different projects and making a few odd compositions for some of his films this however has mostly been overshadowed by his accomplishments as a director. Most recently he contributed to the final Sparklehorse colloborative effort Dark Night Of The Soul before leadsinger Mark Linkous tragically committed suicide. This brings us to Lynch's debut album as a solo artist Crazy Clown Time which is one of the biggest surprises this year has had.

Lynch's sound is quite similar to the one he adopted on Dark Night Of The Soul, the music is fairly minimalist and simple in structure but none of the material is particularly conventional. Throughout the album there is a blend of different styles with folkier elements sometimes presenting themselves from time to time. Lynch also employs a lot of distortion to warp the songs simple nature into a more eerie and abstract place and the metronomic simple beats, sometimes synthetic whilst at other times organic, move the process along at a steady pace. Vocally Lynch is quite interesting and he even dabbles with auto-tuning to add further distortion giving off a creepy robotic vibe. Whilst the music on offer is very experimental in nature the overall sound is not so overly complex that it is unaccessible and most of the material has enough creative flair to sustain the listener's interest. The main detracting point really comes from the odd dull tracks which, whilst perfect for background music to one Lynch's stranger movies, provide very little get excited about without the context of a greater narrative. Still overall the album is quite an impressive feat and whilst not a corker from strat to finish definitely has it's moments. Highlights include the sparse opener "Pinky's Dream" which features Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs providing a haunting ominous vocal over a sparse and dark tune and the more straight forward electronica lead single "Good Day Today" which sees simplistic beats and fuzzy distortion meet to create an almost ambient dance track. Tracks like "Strange And Unproductive Thinking" however seem to just be mindless filler and noise.

Overall Crazy Clown Time proves to be a very ambitious release for Lynch. Whilst it has its flaws it also has a strangely hypnotizing charm about it and proves to be quite an engaging listen. Although this will definitely not prove to have a wide appeal due to its abstract nature I would definitely suggest you at least stream a little of it.

Download: "Pinky's Dream" "So Glad"