Sparks Lane
by Noctorum

REVIEWS and COMMENTS


Full Review

Overall Album Score: 8.7 out of 10

These guys are OBVIOUSLY professional and they know what they're doing. All these songs are enjoyable, crisp, and atmospheric. No amateurish shenanigans 'round these parts! A few of these songs are really excellent, too. The best is easily "High as a Kite," which sounds exactly as the name suggests.

There are absolutely no bombs on this album, either. One song scored a 7.5, but that's no high-crime of the Sultanate. GOOOOD SONGSSSSSS!!!!!

One of the beauties of creativity is its ability to morph with the style of others to form a unique blend: a new voice, a new sound. The travel-weary Marty Willson-Piper has combined forces with Dare Mason and the result is a whimsical journey, both geographically and musically. Sparks Lane has no fixed address - its lyrics drift across countries and seas - but cohesion is achieved with the subtle arrangements, the respect for dynamics and the ability to communicate the wandering subject matter. Willson-Piper's voice is so clean and true, only retaining the odd imperfection to prove its personality and the conversational tone adds to the 'thereness' achieved on Sparks Lane. The towering layers of melody on "My Museum" provide a highlight but this LP rarely demands attention, preferring instead to wait for you to join in. Musically, the focus is cruisy and country paced but instrumentally, Sparks Lane successfully combines classical, electronic and folk elements without sounding contrived: every instrument finds its perfect place within each track. It may be in the form of the shuffling beats found on "Ask Again" or the distorted build-up of "Things To Do And Be," but diversity simply adds colour to the music of Noctorum, never distracting the listener from the strength of this release: the songs.

Serendipity brought me to this CD Sparks Lane. I found it in a dodgey shop in Bergerac France that sells stuff past its sell by date, scrappy Chinese cheapo goods and bankrupt stock.

The CD was brand new and still wrapped.

I paid €1.50 which I had to borrow. I like to buy CDs I have never previously heard and this is a real find - and it gets better as the CD continues.

I have discovered Béla Fleck and Frédérick Rousseau in the same way this year - my life is becoming complete...

Well worth more than €1.50. Buy it NOW!

Noctorum, "Sparks Lane" (Heyday Records)

3 out of 5

Even though the name Noctorum is new, the sound will immediately pop a light bulb in your head-who is this? It is actually Marty Willson-Piper, lead guitarist of The Church. But this CD is not a solo release-it is a project with Dare Mason, a musician/producer who has collaborated with the band in the past. Marty wrote all the lyrics, and Dare only sings lead on one track, but OK-whatever works. The CD starts off with the lilting "Hey There"-Marty is still as melancholy about life as ever-"I don't have a television or a telephone/because I need to spend my life alone." "My Museum" is a haunting track, filled with the lush instrumentation that Church fans are used to hearing-"you are a luxury, a poison a drug/and I don't know how to unplug"- Marty sings as multi-tracked guitars chime away in the background.

Noctorum's best song comes midway through the record, and it really would not have been out of place on The Church's Metropolis [Did he mean to say Gold Afternoon Fix?]. "High As A Kite" is bright, poppy and actually fairly mesmerizing. In a perfect world you would hear this every day on the radio-but instead we're lucky enough to get the new Nickelback song. Marty varies the formula a little bit on "Ask Again"-throwing in a spoken word-Lou Reed type vocal over a funky drum beat. Marty even has the nerve to have not one-but two songs with French titles-(even Sting didn't have the guts to put more than one French song on Ghost In The Machine) but we won't hold that against him. Noctorum should please any fans of dark, atmospheric guitar rock, with lyrics that question life and its intricacies.

Excellent! And full lyrics are printed in the booklet. The track order flows well. I think most everyone would enjoy this one.

"Hey There" is a nice gentle opener. Makes you picture Marty walking around Europe picking up women. "Ask Again" is the stand-out for me - Marty speak-sings this one about driving around lost in Liverpool(?). Any wonder guys don't ask directions? Great sounds and samples (are those the slow-mo helicopters from Apocalypse Now?). "Things To Do And Be" lyrically borders on annoying (just reading off a list of things) but the music seriously rocks as hard as anything any Church member has been involved with (and lasts over 6 minutes). Dare admirably sings lead on "A Girl In Every Graveyard" (mournful song of loss). "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" is another long rocker to end the album... with a flute!

Looking forward to the next Noctorum release.

Stumbled onto this band and I found I really liked their work. Favourite song is "Hey There".

This is Marty and his collaborator Dare Mason at the peak of their creative powers - add to this fact, that the Church's new cd is about to be released here in the USA soon and it shows that there is plenty of wonderful new music on the horizon. Noctorum is staggering - and deserves to be heard widely! This cd is not only diverse, but perfectly balanced. It's very hard to put it on and not play the whole thing from start to finish and feel "renewed" afterwards. A very rich and rewarding listen each time.

I agree 1000% with Ori's review! Just don't even bother reading this, if you love The Church, or even if you don't, this is going to blow you away, so go buy it now. Dare Mason and Marty Willson-Piper have created one of the most perfect albums in a very long time: it sounds new and refreshing, but at the same time very familiar and comforting. It's like meeting an "old" new friend (or is it the other way around?), after a while you'll feel like this record has been with you all your life.

Check out Marty's solo stuff too, you won't regret it!

What can I say? Marty Willson-Piper (MWP) has been around for 20+ years doing solo work and, of course, the CHURCH. This new album featuring Dare Mason is absolutely magical. I was lucky enough to see Marty in Sydney for a couple of shows recently with Tim Powles, Church's drummer plus Tracey "bassey" Ellis, and guitarist David Skeet. They sound cool, smooth, and eclectic.

This album has it all. Great vocals, major guitars, electronics, engaging lyrics, and excellent production that just "WORKS." This one is for MWP and Church fans, but newcomers are welcomed and will not be disappointed. It will make you, however, drop some cash on other MWP CDs'-- I guarantee it. The good news is that you will be making a wise investment in your CD collection. It is so refreshing finding such musical gems in this day and age of "wanna-be" teen groups.