Sparkadia
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Sparkadia

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When devastation strikes on a personal level, our strongest inclination is to escape or to isolate ourselves.

When devastation strikes on a personal level, our strongest inclination is to escape or to isolate ourselves. It’s a path that’s as liable to torment as it is to enlighten, but such an unpredictable journey will often proffer reverential discovery. Alexander Burnett found himself in this predicament when each of his band mates departed Sparkadia, following the quartet’s 18 month tour for their successful 2008 debut album, Postcards . The reasons were the usual – child birth, travel, study/other musical pursuits – but the separation was amicable compared to most. " At first, it was devastating," says the singer/songwriter/guitarist, "but it was kind of liberating too." Leaving behind Sparkadia was never a consideration for Burnett, but moving away from his home town of Sydney was. Burnett embarked on trips to Berlin, Stockholm, New York and Los Angeles, before settling down in London. It was a period that would prove defining on both a personal and artistic level.

 

"As a musician or songwriter, you’re always challenged and excited by your environment," Burnett conveys. "I was sort of depressed but instead of wallowing in self-pity and trying to write an album in my bedroom, I decided to go to new places and experience the ridiculous showbiz element of LA – its depth of sadness and the desperation, the isolation of Berlin and … Stockholm is an incredible town. I think it informed the way I wrote or it made me more inspired or compelled to try to write more exceptional. I wanted to push things forward and try to make a big bold pop record, and trust my gut."

Sparkadia is now the name of Burnett’s singular musical vision, which is why sophomore album, The Great Impression, is a markedly different record to Postcards.

 

Sparkadia was formed in 2004 by Burnett and drummer Dave Hall; two years later, they were joined by bassist Nick Rabone and keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Josephine Ayling (though, after moving to Madrid in 2008, Ayling was replaced by Tiffany Preece). Backed by the popularity of Morning Light – the lead single off their 2007 debut EP, Things Behind The Sun – Sparkadia’s debut album, Postcards, reached number 23 on the ARIA albums chart, received heavy airplay on Triple J and garnered the band sell-out gigs, festival performances (Glastonbury, T In The Park, V Festival, Oxegen Festival, Big Day Out, Pyramid Rock) and several high-profile support tours (Death Cab For Cutie, Elbow, Vampire Weekend, The Thrills).

 

But it wasn’t success that pushed Burnett on. To him, Sparkadia represented more than a band – it was an alternate world and vital sanctum that he wasn’t prepared to leave. Being able to pursue his unique vision without the fear of offending fellow band mates has resulted in an invigorating trajectory on The Great Impression. Atmospheric, emotive, ethereal, melancholy but simultaneously transcendental, Sparkadia’s second album portrays an intense, inspired and evidently revelatory journey.

Although Burnett has always derived inspiration from Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, he admires the steadfast musical forces of singer-songwriters performing under inspired monikers, such as Iggy Pop, Bowie, Bat For Lashes and Nine Inch Nails. "I think the overall intention is always to write a bold pop record like the artists that I love," says Burnett, "who I listened to and got excited by, and made records where they would just go there and see what happens."

 

The first single from The Great Impression, Talking Like I’m Falling Down Stairs, was inspired by the two main groups that Burnett encountered in LA – those who had achieved the "American dream" and those still waiting for that moment. "It made me realise that if you really wanna do creative things and have a career, you have to be bold; you have to take a risk and if people hate it, then so be it," Burnett avows.

 

"The other thing I found is sometimes luck and timing plays a part and I met people who were probably six months too early or six months too late or whatever, and they were so sad and desperate and it was really interesting to me. I had never really experienced that depth of ‘all or nothing’ at a creative expense. Instead of trying to pander to or fit in with the times, I sort of made my vision into being myself, writing songs from the heart and writing classic pop songs and if it works, great, and if it doesn’t, I don’t really mind either way. I’d rather follow my gut and fail as opposed to trying to pander to the radio. In LA, they’d be like ‘oh, that’s on the radio, so we should write those kinds of songs’ and I was like ‘argh’."

 

China is a deeply affecting composition with its moving depiction of human frailty and heart-wrenching breaking points. "In Stockholm, it was like minus 20 degrees and I was staying with a friend of mine. Well, more than a friend," Burnett relates. "She’d gone to work and I remember walking through the snow and my feet making noises that were like strange rhythms. I thought that like China, it’s so well-formed, white and pure, and you can smash it everywhere. It was something that excited me. It did sort of relate to a particular relationship and one of my friends who was reaching the end of their tether. It sort of wrote itself in the space of a day … I had gone walking in the snow and found a song that felt amazing. Because the verse is so tense, the chorus had to so ridiculously counter-balance that. It’s definitely about being human."

 

Burnett was drawn to producer/songwriter Mark Tieku due to his work with two greatly divergent artists, Florence And The Machine and CocknBullKid. "It felt exciting to work with someone who’s going to be brutal with the songwriting," says Burnett. "He’s young and fresh and I thought that he and I could produce a unique sounding record." Burnett was insistent on working with someone unique rather than a well-known producer ("most of the time, it seems to be about working with so and so"). "Mark’s not much older than me, so it felt really exciting to me. He also had the time to put up with me in a spare room in East London, dealing with my madness," he chuckles, "and my crazy ideas and that definitely appealed. When I moved to London in early 2010, I met him in about February; pretty much March, April and May we recorded the album. It was probably a three or fourth month operation. We were pretty much working around the clock, seven days a week."

 

The liberation brought forth by the creative process of Sparkadia’s sophomore album allowed Burnett to experiment more with instrumentation and incorporate as many varying ideas as possible. The Great Impression fuses Burnett’s love of classic pop songwriting with unconventional sounds (metal scaffolding, gongs and scrap metal) and a flurry of musical stylings. "I think before I was really into bands and band energy, but I didn’t have to think about a band vibe or energy [for The Great Impression]. I became really interested in strange gospel music, African music, Tom Waits, calypso…I guess I felt more excited by music that wasn’t conventionally band-based but at the same time had this sonic force, soul or sounds," he muses. "I think I just lived more broadly."

 

If it hadn’t been for Burnett’s important relocation and new collaborators, the second album may’ve been titled ‘The Great Depression’. "I guess when it came to the crunch, I thought it was soulless to listen to a song or album called ‘The Great Depression’," Burnett grins. "And I guess I formed the title around the concept of Europe in the late 80s. It kind of marked a new era and the way music makes a particular impression, the first impression or the last impression, sometimes a bitter taste in your mouth."

 

Having already sold out their first album launch of The Great Impression at The Hi-Fi Bar, Sparkadia will play a second Melbourne show, in which they’ll be supported by Operator Please and Alpine. Burnett’s new touring line-up will comprise both Australian and English musicians. "I got to play with incredible musicians and decided upon the best band … as well as the most dashing," Burnett smiles. "And it’s been amazing. Often with music, you’re double-guessing yourself and you think ‘oh no, this is the end; no one cares’, but for some reason, this record has been different. It feels really exciting. I suppose with the shows and this new band, it’s a breeze and I can’t wait to come back to Australia, especially because tonight it was minus three degrees."

 

Sparkadia will be playing a sold-out Hi-Fi Bar on Friday March 25, as well as a second show on Saturday March 26, which you can still get tickets for. The Great Impression is out now through Ivy League.