Red Sparowes

Instrumental music can be pretty hit or miss, perhaps more so than songs with words, because if the melodies and dynamics aren't interesting enough to hook a listener's attention, it becomes little more than a good soundtrack to scrubbing a sink full of dirty dishes. L.A. quintet Red Sparowes' output is certainly fitting for introspection, but listening to its latest, The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer, is more akin to whiling away a summer day while staring up at the clouds on a grassy hill. That's largely due to the group's inclusion of a slide guitar, which skates high above the lumbering basslines and dramatic drumming. The band forgoes words, allowing listeners to invent their own images to accompany the often kinetic songs.

Updated 04/06/2010