I Used To Be A Sparrow
Luke

THE REVIEW

Sweden has become known worldwide for its propensity to produce musicians with a very particular sensibility: Swedish bands of various genres, from metal to hip hop, through indie rock, have always accustomed the global audience to very high levels of originality and distinctive personalities.

This is definitely the category to which I Used To Be A Sparrow belongs, a band that from the first listen can easily be interpreted as a meeting point between the "massive" stadium rock atmospheres and the rawness and energy of a more alternative band. It's a bit like listening to Coldplay playing in a garage.

The album starts with Cambodia, more of an intro than a real song, whose long instrumental tail opens the way for the single "Life is good", perhaps one of the best tracks on the album, with its nostalgic yet bright atmosphere. The third track "Smoke" puts electric guitars in the background, showcasing the band's peculiarity of having two lead vocalists who alternate and focusing on a layer of piano and synth. The same goes for "Let go", which gives way to the more rocking "Hawaii", driven by a simple electric guitar riff that ends with feedback that becomes a background "drone" to the arpeggiated acoustic guitars of Lovers on the moon, initially delicate and static, then animated by powerful drums reminiscent of atmospheres akin to "gobbledigook" by Sigur Rös.

 The initial formula of tracks like "Cambodia" or "Life is good" returns in full with "Moby dick", enriched by a beautiful female voice in the chorus and very open and airy guitar lines. "Luke" is the moment in the album where the band decides to step out of the usual circles, experimenting with noise guitars, strange sounds, and a cappella sections. A sort of interlude that brings the album close to closing, with "give it up", where the contrast between the "cold" electronics of drum machines and loops and the warm yet determined acoustic guitar that supports the entire piece stands out. Copenhagen once again brings the "full band" sound to the forefront, and it’s the first time on the entire album that the two singers switch lines in the bridge. The album closes with Alaska, a track that unexpectedly pushes the accelerator, almost revealing punk rock influences, where everything is a bit rougher, but without drastically moving away from the general atmospheres of the album.

In conclusion, "Luke" is a truly difficult album to categorize:

it is evident that the band seeks the "pop" element and wants to make the music "easy to grasp", but it is also true that it does so without resorting to "obvious" solutions or ones already heard over and over, earning a lot of points in terms of personality and credibility, delivering a compact album, yet characterized by pleasant variety and many musical references, from the pop rock of the aforementioned Coldplay or U2, to bands like The Appleseed Cast or Editors and artists like Elliott Smith or Damien Rice.