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Album review

SPERRY ALAN - ALBUM-A

"A slow building groove that hits glorious peaks of heart-warming intensity amidst its more introspective moments, this is the kind of stuff that bands build careers on"

SPERRY ALAN - ALBUM-A
Biography : Discography : Line Up : Web Links : Further Listening : Merchandise

Ageless / Old Man Crankpot / Off The Coast / Till That Day / Rod's One Minute Ride / Jeseppy The Seaweathered Bird / Return To Fall / The Pacifist

Recorded at Idea of East Recording Studio, Halifax, NS, Canada
Produced by Craig Sperry

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There's a certain otherworldliness to the sound of Sperry Alan, a reverb heavy guitar sting that conjures images of big empty white rooms with the band sitting at the centre - the sound echoing all around them. AGELESS, where latter day Radiohead meets Pearl Jam, beginning with a distant guitar riff that leads into a shuffling pop song with nagging melodies and insistent choruses, John Sperry singing in a deep chested tenor that's somewhere between Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen and Evan Dando. The blues tinged acoustic, OLD MAN CRANKPOT, comes on like Beck channelling John Martyn. A deceptively simple song that circles around the same bluesy guitar licks and insistent vocals in a short, snappy swirl.
Cranking up the guitars to a distorted swell, OFF THE COAST, changes tack again this time finding Sperry Alan sporting an indie rock makeover that places them in the same territory of the latest Low album, the one where they discovered a love of loud guitars and catchy pop songs. A slow building groove that hits glorious peaks of heart-warming intensity amidst its more introspective moments, this is the kind of stuff that bands build careers on. Veering back into the acoustic blues, TILL THAT DAY, throws in a few vaguely electro flourishes and tumbling beats, although failing to hit the highs of much of the rest of the material on offer here.
JESEPPY THE SEAWEATHERED BIRD, is at heart a simple pop song with snappy choruses and a gentle bounce imagining The Lemonheads with a blues rock edge. RETURN TO FALL, is a more aggressive take on the same principal that brings forth a certain hardcore fury that sees the band rocking out, feet on monitors and amps to eleven. Flowing its away along on a fluid guitar line and a driving drum pattern, THE PACIFIST, bridges the gap between Sperry Alan's softer side and alt-rock leanings, as the band explode into the harder edged second half of the song with the confidence of a band that knows exactly what its doing.
Keeping things rooted in a certain alt-rock ghetto, but opening their sound up enough to encompass genres like blues, post-rock and injecting something of an experimental edge at times, ALBUM-A, is a record that always keeps you on your toes. Sitting somewhere amidst The Beta Band, Beck, Low and The Lemonheads, Sperry Alan put forward a sound that's both recognisable and at the same time, doing enough things differently enough to ensure that they're delivering something fresh and unique.


Sperry Alan is the brain child of John Sperry, John is a 25 year old singer/songwriter/guitarist from Truro, Nova Scotia.
John wrote all the music on his first CD which was released early fall 2004, Album-A was produced by Craig Sperry at Idea of East Recording Studio, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Album-A was engineered and recorded by Craig Sperry. Jon Epworth and Shane Kerr from Halifax's Dean Melenkos contributed their skills and instruments to the album. Since the release, John has been opening up for local acts.
He opened for Slow Coaster at The Manhattan, Moncton, Servo at Hell, Halifax, Driveway at The Engine Room, Truro and Hawco at The Engine Room, Truro.
John has produced and performed an instore show at Truro's CD plus. Track 7 RETURN TO FALL has enjoyed airplay on two radio stations, Big Dog 100.9 and
Q104.3 (Route 104 Program).
All art work for CD, posters and web site created by John Sperry.
Album-A is now distributed by East Coast Rising Music, along side such brand name acts as Crush and Nathan Wiley.

   :: Line Up :: Discography :: Merchandise :: Further Listening :: Web Links ::



John Sperry>vocals/guitar
Jon Epworth>drums
Shane Kerr>bass



ALBUM-A (2004)
Ageless
Old Man Crankpot
Off The Coast
Till That Day
Rod's One Minute Ride
Jeseppy The Seaweathered Bird
Return To Fall
The Pacifist


CONTACT
Email>info@sperryalan.com

LINKS
Sperry Alan>
East Coast Rising Distribution>


Low>The Great Destroyer (2005>Sub Pop)
The Beta Band>Hot Shots II (2001>Regal Recordings)
Beck>Sea Change (2002>Geffen)





 
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