If you've had it up to here with all the hindsight romanticizing of long-defunct band At The Drive-In, you're probably sick of all the hoopla surrounding the Mars Volta, too. Cedric Whatever-His-Hyphenated-Name-of-the-Moment-Is once said that the thought of continuing to write songs within the limiting confines of At The Drive-In's straight-ahead punk format nauseated him. Well, he probably wouldn't have many nice things to say about
Sparta, the decidedly more radio-friendly outfit formed by the abandoned three Drive-In members in the wake of his departure. Sparta sometimes makes frustrating concessions to the predictable modern-rock, alt-metal formula, but not being an emo band allows Sparta to utilize emo techniques while sidestepping annoying pretenses. Plus, you just can't resist some of Sparta's choruses, especially when the band's music is at its most atmospheric.
Sparta, with the Life and Times. Thursday, August 3, at the Bottleneck.
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