When the world came to a halt, Jim Ward couldn’t stop moving. He’d just released a reunion album, Trust the River, as the frontman of Sparta when the pandemic hit, and as tour dates dried up, Ward returned to the studio. A year later, he debuted his raucous solo record Daggers and now he’s offering up yet another Sparta album to the world. “I was pretty anxious and depressed, and when I feel that way I know I have to do something with myself so I don’t self-destruct,” Ward says. “This project started in the midst of lockdown; I’d turn on Logic, retreat to my studio, and just get lost for a few hours.”
The resulting collection of songs were entirely written on keys in what Ward considers an effort to stretch musical muscles he wouldn’t otherwise have had the expanse of time to indulge in. Boldly self-titled some 20-odd years into Sparta’s career, the album serves as a kind of reintroduction to the band, what Ward calls “a fresh slate.” Formed in the aftermath of At the Drive-In’s break up, the band underwent many lineup changes with Ward as its sole steadfast member; at this point, “Sparta” is synonymous with “Jim Ward.” On Sparta, he’s joined by the band’s longtime bassist/percussionist Matt Miller, along with a consortium of collaborators who contributed to the album remotely, including Tucker Rule, whose percussion you hear on Daggers. Others include Thursday’s Geoff Rickly, guitarist Michael James Adams, and keyboardist Kenny Hopper.
“It’s been really important for me to grow past the music I was making before and to let go of what I perceived to be the ‘rules,’” Ward reflects. “Recording in a totally different way with artists I admire – some of whom I didn’t even know personally until I texted asking if they wanted to join me on this new record – was so enlivening during a grim time.”
The overall effect of Sparta is one of relentless positivity, an optimism that can eclipse the darkest days.
Sparta:
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