I Used To Be A Sparrow

Luke

Written by: BV on 12/12/2012 21:03:26

I Used To Be a Sparrow is one of those bands where you immediately pick up who they’re influenced by, and what they’re trying to do. However, this can certainly prove to be an immediate disadvantage when releasing an album that is to be reviewed – as is the case just now.

The majority of I Used To Be a Sparrow’s debut album “Luke” consists of delay-drenched tracks with moody vocals a la Coldplay, and while Coldplay lost me as a listener quite some time ago, IUTBAS actually come off as quite catchy and somewhat fresh to my ears. The album starts off with a slow and somewhat moody song called "Cambodia". The guitars on this track are somewhat atmospheric sounding, providing the entire backbone for the song, as there isn’t really much else going on except for the vocals and a seemingly anonymous sounding rhythm section. But that’s generally the way it tends to be, when creating an atmospheric track – it’s all part of the game.

The general catchiness of the album comes in around the fourth track called “Let Go” with its relatively simple rhythm structure, as well as a set of lyrics that is easily deciphered so one can sing along to them – if one so desires, that is. However, with all the foot-tapping joy of this album, there is also going to be a downside. And this is actually one I tend to bring up a lot, since I believe it to be the major point of flaws on albums in general – variation. Most debut albums (this one included) tend to either be too varied, leaving the listener with a sense of confusion in regards of how to remember a certain band, or too monotonous, leaving the listener with a sense of being full halfway through the album, as the overall dynamics and songwriting don’t seem to vary that much. This album mostly falls into the latter category, as most of the songs on the album seem to be based on the same schematic of songwriting. This can be heard when listening closely to the album, as there are two basic songwriting forms on it: Slow, atmospheric and almost droning songs, and up-beat, stadium-like songs with somewhat catchy choruses.

So in conclusion, there are some quite enjoyable songs on this album, and IUTBAS generally know their stuff when it comes to this particular genre of music. They should however, consider varying their overall musical expression as their music will inevitably blend together to form a seemingly anonymous bunch of songs, if they don’t do something to set them apart from each other. But overall, I certainly enjoyed listening to this album and I think IUTBAS has the potential to write greater songs than the ones we are presented on “Luke”.

Download: Cambodia, Copenhagen, Let Go
For The Fans Of: Coldplay, Angels & Airwaves, U2
Listen: facebook.com

Release Date 11.02.2012
Self-Released


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