Folk rock is a term that’s thrown around far too often these days, but really there’s been no better way to describe Sparrow and the Workshop... until now. With their third album, Murderopolis, the three-piece have unveiled a darker, edgier side to their music. Even the album title is bloody intimidating!
Murderopolis is a striking record: it captures the band’s
electric live performances better than any of their records since debut EP Sleight of Hand, and adds a newfound
harder edge. The distortion is fuzzier, the drums are punchier, and Jill O’Sullivan’s
delectable vocals are laced with even more emotion. Throughout the record, though,
the folky roots that make Sparrow and the Workshop great are ever-present.
Opener Valley of Death is delightfully
melodious, and a recognisable starting point for fans of the band while Darkness, by contrast, bursts forth from
a growling bass line into a beast of a track. Odessa then somehow combines the two styles into one delicious
package, hopping between the serene and the ferocious. The album continues in
this fashion, balancing delicate melodies with immensely powerful, visceral
music and succeeding at every turn.
Throughout
the record, tracks like rousing single Shock
Shock and the vibraphone-fuelled Murderopolis
shine brightly, while The Faster You Spin
is – pure and simple – an explosion of glorious rock music designed to get
the blood pumping through the listener's veins. Water Won’t Fall, Avalanche
of Lust, Flower Bombs: each song
lives up to its imaginative name, throwing the listener round various corners,
twists and turns. Then, as the album draws to a close with The Glue That Binds Us and the sublime Autumn to Winter, it’s all over too quickly: eleven songs, thirty-eight
minutes, one exhilarating experience.
Murderopolis exhibits not a new direction for Sparrow and
the Workshop; rather, it’s another step along the path they were already
treading. Stunning from the off, they have evolved into something quite
magnificent and things can only get even better from here.
Murderopolis by Sparrow and the Workshop is out
on the 27th of May via Song,
by Toad Records.
ES
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