Austin’s The Lovely Sparrows, produce sweet soulful harmonies backed by breezy acoustical guitars, combined with a multitude of various instruments on their latest five track EP Pulling Up Floors, Pouring on (New) Paint. This is their second release, the first being a 7″ released earlier this year. They have a similar sound to fellow Austinites American Analog Set, as well as influential mixture of The Kinks and Big Star in a similar fashion to way The Shins set up their compositions but more carefree. Lead singer and songwriter, Shawn Jones provides illuminated narration to the bands open and airy landscape. The setting is soft around the edges, like a fluffy cloud mixed with mini bursts of tiny explosions of percussion.

All of the songs are blended together rather inconspicuously and release an overall soothing impression. Upbeat finger-snaps and hand-claps nestled together with a harmonious jangling guitar strum and the robust patter of the percussion construct the third track “The War Has Seen the Best of Me”. In turn it is followed by “Attention Disorder Kid” which openly critiques how our nation is drugging our children and turning them into drones: “Attention disorder kid, they want to replace with you robots. All things not cool, come round, come round. You’ll hear them say settled down, settle down”. The piece is slightly scattered and has it ups-and-downs (as well it should) and concludes by seamlessly blending into the first 45 seconds of the final track “Let’s Watch the Tourists”. We watch the tourists as they shuffle along with another mixture of clatter and clanging, loosely meshed together as it closes the 20 minute collection rather nicely. But guess what, my two favorites are the first two tracks “Chemicals Change” and “Your Flowers Will Bloom” as they are both a bit more polished and shine ever so brightly. This EP sets up a promising future for The Lovely Sparrows that I am looking forward to hear.

Freebies
A high quality version of the lead off track Chemicals Change. Pick up the EP at eMusic or iTunes or order the actual CD from Abandoned Love Records.

A prayer before I put in my earbuds: “Our Lady Of the Highway, may you be with me on this journey, which does not leave the confines of this room for fear of taking off my headphones as others my hear the desolation that tears apart my wretched heart. Amen.” Back when I was kid when musicians got all sad and mopey they wore black and started a band, covering nothing but Joy Division and wore makeup like Robert Smith, and we used to walk to school - up hill both ways. Today depression comes in all shapes and genres, and San Francisco’s Our Lady of the Highway heaves it out layered in alt country, mainstream pop, a little faux punk and some emo, all mixed together with oppressive lyrics. The lead singer, Dominic East writes all the songs in his bedroom and that fact is clearly apparent in this 2005 release.

Although East’s vocal stylings have a similar quirkiness to bands such as Modest Mouse, Built To Spill and the Mountain Goats, the lyrics are immensely personal, as most of the songs are about breakups and of course the inevitable broken heart. Musically they sound like a lot of current acts that are mainstream which surprises me they haven’t hit it yet. The band has the capacity to rock out but the high parts are too short: the intro to “End of the World” has a dub/funk/reggae jam which lasts only 23 seconds. Right now this album, Beauty Won’t Save Us This Year, is available for free on eMusic as well as the band’s website when you purchase their latest release Kill You With Numbers. From one free track, I Get The Sense it appears the band is beginning to branch out but they still need to reflect on other things than that girl that broke his heart years ago.

Free album: Beauty Won’t Save Us This Year