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The anthemic cries for getting your crap in order are flavored with dashes of sonic experimentation and the knowledge of when to slow things down.
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They put together nearly perfectly produced and arranged songs, tight and precise yet still urgent and fast.
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While the band's sound isn't exactly the most original noise out there, they deliver with such impassioned conviction that you'll be more than willing to forget a few "sound alike" misgivings.
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Under intense pressure to "prove itself," Sparta has done perfectly fine.
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Alternative PressWhile the band's by-the-book emo and fondness for '90s Radiohead may not break new ground, they've still made a hell of a record whose familiarity makes it feel like an old favorite upon first listen. [Oct 2002, p.95]
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The dynamic atmospherics of ATDI's swan song Relationship of Command are here, but the delicate moments are more focused, and the powder-keg bursts just as potent.
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They've managed to broaden the nervous-tic angst-rock of their previous band into something more readily adaptable without reducing it to mealy-mouthed pop regurge.
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Sparta has made a smartly produced, superficially exciting record full of deafening electric hum, full-throated shouts, and quiet, intricately picked guitar breaks.
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Entertainment WeeklyVacillates between supersoft verses and garishly loud hooks, undermining their attempts at lyrical nuance. [6 Sep 2002, p.86]
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BlenderIt's in the quieter moments that Sparta truly shine. [#9, p.154]
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Q MagazineTheir former group's artful exuberance and awkward edges may have been sawn off to create a more grungy rasp, but there's still plenty of angst on show. [Oct 2002, p.117]
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What Sparta gain in subtlety they lose in sheer force.
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Wiretap Scars illustrates Sparta's ambition to move beyond At the Drive-In, but also the bandmembers' attempt to steer clear of mainstream emocore.
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Far too often, 'Wiretap Scars' feels limp, lifeless, bereft of dynamics.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 20 out of 22
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Mixed: 1 out of 22
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Negative: 1 out of 22
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zachlAug 31, 2005
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AidanKAug 27, 2005its really good but overshadowed by the mars volta and at the drive-in
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MarkPMar 28, 2005My absolute favourite album