Sparrows Swarm and Sing
"..O Shenandoah Mighty Death Will Find Me" (CD)

released in 2006
Label: Magic Bullet
http://www.swarmandsing.com/

Sparrows Swarm and Sing bring us ..O Shenandoah Might Death Will Find Me, four epic instrumental songs, the shortest being over 15 minutes, the longest a touch over 25 minutes. What story they..re exactly trying to tell is as good as anyone..s guess. Here..s a possible version of what this album brings to mind:

Walking in a mountain valley, cross big gushing river. Now you..re lost inside a dark, scary forest. Woops, wrong turn; cult ritual in progress. After hanging out with lunatics, journey commences. Enter a tribal village, festivities in progress. Continue journey into nightmarish underground goblin dwelling. The adventure ends in some such epic fashion of struggle for survival and question of faith, and the day beings anew.

Not a particularly interesting story, but with a little imagination it becomes manageable. There..s a lack of clear theme and direction. In the opening track they nail the mountain scene, and give you a whole nine minutes of intro just to make sure you..re not lost. The album continues in tedious fashion, varying from moments of greatness to moments of flatness.

SSS are reminiscent of many current experimental, post-rockers (Explosions in the Sky comes to mind). They layer on and build, using orchestral percussion, strings and horns along with guitars. It sounds like rock music trying to be like classical music, and at times it works. ..Father Death/Mother Nature, Pt.1.. sounds like a ballet movement possessed. Some of the best parts are in the aptly titled ..Across Canyons/Canyon,.. slowly building ominous and moving parts into big large chords just to die away again. ..Warm Blood Within, Pt.2.. is overall the strongest and most rocking piece, if you manage to pay attention that long into the album.

By the end, you..ll still be unsure of what story SSS were trying to get across. This is a good effort put forth, and with a little more development and a little cutting back on the long tracks, they might have something. For now, this could make a nice soundtrack to a fantasy novel, or to your next outdoor hiking trip. Also suitable as RPG background music.

5.5/10

Review written on 2006/10/02 by Mark Shvartsman