It's a rare thing when you come across an EP that is so sublime, so addictively wonderful, that you end up listening to it over and over again like a weirdo. This is one of them.
SPARKWOOD & 21 are a four-piece band typically to be found gigging round Liverpool, playing the sort of tunes that would have even the largest beefcake sobbing into his pint of Snakebite, or on the flip-side they would have everyone spinning on the tables. It's certainly the sort of music that gently worms its way into the ears of the listeners, preventing them from doing much else until the music ends.
Interestingly, they apparently take their name from Twin Peaks (David Lynch) - "Sparkwood & 21" being the junction where Laura Palmers was last seen alive. Ominous. Not that their music conjures any sense of foreboding (we're not talking Morbid Angel here), it's just a quirky fact.
Anyway, their sound is a blend of folk/Americana-inspired acoustic arrangements that excel on pulling at the heart-strings. They capture the same direct honesty and gentle melancholy you can get from artists like Ryan Adams and even Elbow. In their music, there is an underlying current of something a lot stronger lurking beneath the pretty melodies and layers of mandolins. Oh yes folks, they have many, many singing mandolins. And some accordions. Reminiscent of Eddi Reader's earlier work, and perhaps Beth Orton (especially the emotionally-charged "Slip Away"), it's all juicy, catchy and downright wonderful.
|
Currently unsigned, its only a matter of time before Sparkwood & 21 get snapped up pronto. If you ever get the chance to go see them, do so. And keep an eye out for any future releases, if it's anything like their "Shine EP" it'll be a corker.
(www.sparkwoodand21.co.uk)
|
