• achtergronden
• DE 7EVEN
• video's
• agenda

ernaast

Frankie Sparo | My Red Scare

Beautiful and sorrowful lofi pop, spiced up with eerie electronics and that desolate Constellation-sound.
LP, Constellation/Konkurrent

Tekst: Bas Ickenroth

Publicatiedatum: 30 januari 2001

Not the usual Constellation stuff, was the first thought that came to my mind when listening to Frankie Sparo. That is, if there is such a thing as usual Constellation stuff, the lable known for its adventurous bands as Do Make Say Think and Godspeed You Black Emperor!. This album is recorded by GYBE!'s Efrim and Thierry (also both in A Silver Mt. Zion) together with Ian (not from GYBE!) who also played piano and organ on the album. Frankie Sparo is a Montreal-based singer-songwriter, and on 'My Red Scare' (his debut album) he presents his own interpretations of typical singer/songwriter music and lo-fi, and this is a much more down to earth approach than his fellow labelmates. Not a happy guy, this Frankie. I like it that way. There isn't much happy music I can stand. Most of the songs is just Frankie's cigarette-enhanced voice and his guitar, both not to clean sounding, both not always on key. And again, I like it that way. The more you listen, the more it seemes there is a certain Constellation type of sound evolving. Just like most of the Constellation records this one is recorded in Hotel2Tango, their home studio/old warehouse kind of thing. That spacial sound, the obvious desolate feeling surrounding the songs, all recordings coming from there have it. The intimate, sorrowful songs are coloured by beautiful violinparts, organs and strange, seemingly out-of-place electronics. If you want to have a musical reference, try Molasses (which has the above mentioned Thierry in the line-up, and records its albums in...you know where) but add a dark, jazzy, loungy atmosphere. Maybe also some Tom Waits or Will Oldham, but those tags don't stick for too long either. Impressive lo-fi album. Not suitable for people who want their music served clean, happy and neat. Very suitable for anyone who likes raw emotion and imtimateness.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/recensie/frankie-sparo/my-red-scare/222/
Meer Frankie Sparo op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/frankie-sparo