Sparta
Threes

From the ashes of At The Drive In emerge Mars Volta and Sparta. The latter group, born from the idea of Jim Ward, debuts making a good impression on critics with -Wiretap Scars-.

In 2006, "Threes" is released, a CD filled with sharp guitars, repeated riffs, and much of what we've already heard before. It is indeed difficult to listen to "Threes" without making references. The alt-rock sounds often remind one of U2 of Bono and co. and in some parts, the softer ones, of Coldplay.

The album, overall, is adequately sufficient even though, as mentioned, it does not offer anything new to the "already too emulated" music of the early second millennium. Following a general line, it seems that the quality has a significant decline track after track. The beginnings are indeed promising, leaving aside the embarrassing "Tacking Back Control", an incredibly tasteless single with simply annoying echoes of punk. In the first half of "Threes", we find some truly appreciable nuances. "Unteatrable Disease" is not displeasing at all, and "Crawl" continues along the same line. "Unstitch Your Mouth" is probably the highlight of the album along with "Atlas", a semi-acoustic gem that seems straight out of "The Bends" by Radiohead, and "The Most Vicious Crime". Listening to the album many times, one wonders how this group manages to alternate between boring and overly sweet sounds and pieces of rare taste. The genuine "Erase It Again" is an example of the latter aspect and probably marks the turning point. The second half of the album is like listening to the first tracks all over again. The uselessness of "Weather The Storm" is shocking, like the teenage ditty which is "False Sart". The finale, "Translations", takes up an intro reminiscent of Matthew Bellamy and concludes a work that is antithetical in many respects.

The work seems sufficient, but even after several listens, the album leaves very little. It should also be noted that the band live does not seem at all like a cohesive group or capable of becoming something significant. In electric sets, they are salvageable, but in acoustic performances, the level is amateurish, and one wonders if the current singer of Sparta has been overly proud in transforming from a guitarist for At The Drive In into a lead vocalist.