Sparklace

Album Review

Aloha/White Williams drummer/percussionist Cale Parks filled his 2006 solo debut Illuminated Manuscript with enough ambient noise to earn adjectives like "experimental" and "distant" and enough pop nods to warrant comparisons to bands like Air and Dntal. It's the latter that shines through on 2008's Sparklace, a chilly electronic pop record that owes as much to New Order and Arthur Russell than it does Godspeed You Black Emperor!. By no means groundbreaking, Parks has succeeded in capturing a time when the underground was filled with giant (as in bulky) synthesizers and drum machines as opposed to fully loaded ProTools rigs (even his even-handed baritone sounds ripped from an earlier time). Highlights include the dark and melodic "This Morning" and the machine-like "Age of Reform," the latter of which wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Tones on Tail record. At first, Sparklace seems unwilling to charm, boasting an opening trio of songs that sound like early Depeche Mode demos with the choruses removed, but from the spooky "Early On" through the manic "Some Sew, Some Find," Parks manages to successfully re-invent the late '80s/early '90s for the indie pop/IDM crowd.