Lawrence Arabia / Sparrow, The
Album: Sparrow, The   Collection:General
Artist:Lawrence Arabia   Added:Dec 2012
Label:Bella Union  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2012-12-08 Pull Date: 2013-02-10
Week Ending: Feb 10 Feb 3 Jan 27 Jan 20 Jan 13 Jan 6 Dec 30 Dec 23
Airplays: 5 1 2 2 2 1 3 2

Recent Airplay
1. Jun 28, 2024: KZSU Time Traveler
Traveling Shoes
4. Sep 02, 2022: KZSU Time Traveler
Traveling Shoes
2. Jun 07, 2024: KZSU Time Traveler
The Listening Times
5. May 07, 2021: KZSU Time Traveler
Traveling Shoes
3. Nov 25, 2022: KZSU Time Traveler
The Listening Times
6. Dec 06, 2019: KZSU Time Traveler
Traveling Shoes

Album Review
Wallace Brontoon
Reviewed 2012-12-08
New Zealand -- indie pop, with a slick '60s Brill Building kinda songcraft. Beautifully ornate arrangements (lush strings, '60s poppy-sad sound.) Gloom filtered and steady. Lawrence Arabia is James Milne (the Brunettes; he's played bass for Okkervil River; toured with Feist). This is REALLY cool stuff.

RIYL Belle & Sebastian, Jon Brion, Serge Gainsbourg, Scott Walker...

No FCCs.

1 (4:13) ***** Phil Spector-esque string opening. Catchy chorus, with swooning strings and some sharp staccato, joined by faint backing group. "He's gotta go away..."
2 (3:32) * Mid-tempo groove, absurd falsetto alternates with more natural singing. Soft piano break midway. Ends with prolonged string lament.
3 (3:12) *** Damped, bouncy guitar, reedy spooky vocals. Haunted-pop atmosphere. Strings subdued, only at vocal breaks. Grows richer, vocal back-up and swooning violins enter.
4 (2:31) * Spare vocals over piano, spooky, slow and mopey. Joined by ghost-chorus at times, but not too much going on--
5 (3:43) A little dancier, synthier, '80s-funky sound, but sparse. I could take it or leave it. Some good moments, but it lacks the '60s/strings goodness. Becomes chorus, all '60s-echoey at 2:20.
6 (4:41) *** Quiet intro. Slowish walk, draggy high vocals, strings join. Keeps the tempo going in leisurely groove, with friscalating violins taking over.
7 (4:35) ** Cool stroll, muted horns. Low energy, straight-ahead, until 2 minutes in: some nice twinkling bells, and it pulls forward a bit.
8 (2:27) ** Instrumental. Strummy open, then muted bouncy trumpet, become a dissonant brass section.
9 (5:55) * Fuzzy guitar, pipey multi-tracked male vocals. Slinky strings. Calms down into a prolonged relaxed piano outro, including sentimental strings.

-Hervey Okkles
12/8/2012

Track Listing
1. Traveling Shoes   5. The 03
2. Lick Your Wounds   6. Early Kneecappings
3. The Listening Times   7. The Bisexual
4. Bicycle Racing   8. Dessau Rag
  9. Legends