Agent Sparks
|
HQ: Los Angeles, CA NOW PLAYING: Red Rover (IMMORTAL; immortalrecords.com) WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: Alternating between pensive and playful, while buoyed by a brilliant combination of boy/girl vocal handoffs, Agent Sparks' expansive take on '90s alt rock is as effortless as it is awesome. YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: The Pixies / Mates Of State / Violent Femmes Like any stepbrothers who spend every day together, there's a fair bit of personal overlap between Ben Einziger and Paul Fried. Musically speaking, they share a history, too, having played guitar and bass, respectively, in the post-grunge rock debacle Audiovent, a band whose internal relations were so rocky that its members participated together in group therapy. Certainly it's not the most conventional foundation to build a new band upon, but in the case of Agent Sparks, the players' relationships are infinitely more stable-mentally and musically. "[Audiovent] was more of a roadblock than a creative outlet," says Einziger. "It was all I knew, so it felt like, 'This is how bands are supposed to be.' But it didn't feel like we could be who we wanted to be. I don't regret it because it helps me to appreciate what I have now." What he has now is a band of unabashed alt rock revivalists -vocalist/guitarist Einziger, co-vocalist/keyboardist Stephanie Eitel, bassist Fried and drummer George Purviance-who aligned with Immortal a mere six months after forming and soon recorded their Not So Merry EP/DVD and its full-length follow-up, Red Rover. Though their music looks backward for inspiration, Agent Sparks' rapid ascent is rendering their future limitless. And while Einziger's past has its missteps, he's sure that tomorrow has never looked brighter than it does today. "I'm really looking forward to writing our next record," he says. "I want it to be primarily written and recorded in the late, late evening, around one in the morning. I don't necessary want it to be bright and happy or dark and sad-I want it to be delirium." -Tristan Staddon |
