‘Ethereal and Electric’- The Guardian
‘They sound like Emmylou Harris meets Jack White in a sexy headlock’ – Word Magazine
‘This is genuine, honest music impeccably crafted by three individuals with an obvious desire for their chosen path.’ – Drowned in Sound
Sparrow and the Workshop will be releasing their new album ‘Spitting Daggers’ through Distiller Records. The album was produced and mixed at the new recording studio, The Distillery, by Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno / Sam Amidon).
The band comprises of Belfast born, Chicago-raised Jill O’Sullivan (vocals/guitar/violin), Welshman Nick Packer (guitar/bass) and Scotsman Gregor Donaldson (drums/vocals.) Jill’s voice has developed into a powerhouse of flexibility, allowing her to soar from keening Sandy Denny-esque tones to sensual peaks you’re more likely to expect from PJ Harvey. With Gregor providing vocal harmonies alongside drumming and percussion duties, and Nick playing guitar and bass and an instrument combining the two affectionately referred to as the ‘basstard’, they have matured into a truly astonishing outfit.
The band wrote the album between tours in the latter half of 2010 (Incidentally, both Gregor and Nick learned to play the trombone and tenor horn in the weeks leading up to its recording). Both instruments feature on the wonderfully titled song, ‘Our Lady of the Potatoes’, (which was inspired by a historical novel of the same name by Duncan Sprott- it’s a tale of Louis XV’s 14 year old Irish mistress). Other highlights include album opener ‘Pact to Stay Cold’, the aggressively battle-tinged ‘You Don’t Trust Anyone’, ‘Snakes in the Grass’ and ‘Soft Sound of Your Voice’, the eerily confessional album closer.
Tracklisting:
01. Pact To Stay Cold
02. You Don’t Trust Anyone
03. Spitting Daggers
04. Our Lady of the Potatoes
05. Faded Glory
06. Snakes In the Grass
07. Father Look
08. Old Habits
09. Against The Grain
10. Soft Sound of Your Voice
Release Date: 24th February 2012
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