Album review: Sparta – Cut A Silhouette

Given that 24 years have passed since Sparta’s Wiretap Scars debut, mainman Jim Ward could be forgiven for despairing that they’re still being assessed in relation to his previous band, At The Drive-In. That is, however, what you get when you were part of the crew responsible for setting the standard for 21st Century post-hardcore with the unimpeachable 2000 album Relationship Of Command.

Compared to the other most significant post-ATD-I band The Mars Volta, Sparta have sometimes seemed a little unadventurous – though to be fair, the former’s surrealist jazz prog makes most contemporaries sound rather square. And anyway, this sixth album finds Jim playing to his strengths, with a clutch of concise tunes that contains a few real gems.

Split Lip gets things off to a cracking start with explosive urgency and melodic suss reminiscent of ‘90s hardcore heroes Avail. Crater and the moodier Mouthbreather are co-writes with Frank Iero, apparently this season’s go-to guy for alt-rock veterans, judging by his contribution to Held.’s recent debut. Meanwhile, the post-punk basslines and shoegazey guitars of single Everything You Say coalesce into Cut A Silhouette’s finest three minutes.

Echoes of revered influences and peers, from Fugazi and Jawbox to AFI and Jimmy Eat World, swing by. Mystery Of Missing even hints at an alternative timeline where The Edge took his shimmering guitar sounds out of U2 and onto an emo label like Deep Elm or Jade Tree.

The only weakness comes in the form of a couple of songs that perhaps would have better suited Jim’s other project Sleepercar. See You Soon is a pretty enough alt-country number, but Glimmer closes proceedings by stepping rather too far into Coldplay territory. But these are rare missteps on Cut A Silhouette, an album which traces the outline of Sparta’s identity with satisfying clarity. Sixth time’s a charm, it turns out.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Rival Schools, Thursday, Jawbox

Cut A Silhouette is released on May 29 via Equal Vision/Rude