I Am David Sparkle - This Is The New (KittyWu)

We've all been blown away by a Japanese post-rock band Mono, so why not check out an excellent surprise from a pioneering Singapore based instrumental four-piece band, I Am David Sparkle? Before I get to the music, I want to take a moment and drop a tribute to a very much under-appreciated component of an album - its packaging. This Is The New is tucked deep inside an accordion-like stereographic packaging full of hidden words and inaccessible secrets, but to get to the music, you have to become part of the artistic process and remove the stitches holding this enigma together. Once you remove the thread, you can never go back; in essence - creating by destroying. Clawing into the heart of the album, like a hungry squirrel working at the hard-shelled nut, I was praying that the music would live up to its externalities. Tension breaker - two thumbs up! Formed in 2001 and "inspired by the landscapes of life, love, and beauty", the group draws on their past experience in indie, punk and hardcore acts, but at the heart of composition lie the undeniable elements of post-rock, with hints of Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Rós and Mogwai, and an occasional electronic rhythm treatment to the likes of The Album Leaf. The music is comfortably familiar, soothing, and intelligent, adding to the palette a sprinkle of new color, as inspired by the cultural and geographical distance. Favorite track: Dance of Death.

myspace.com/iamdavidsparkle | myspace.com/kittywurecords