Last spring they amazed me with their cover sessions and when they announced a new album I was a bit expecting them on this new album, but alas. They found enough creativity to records 11 tracks of their own and keep loyal to their all-time style.
The album starts with She Wore A Crown that starts a bit eclectic with a slice of electro and the violin (still played by Giovanni). Once the dust settles down Isabelle Dekeyser takes over and changes it into the best track of the album. Didier’s bass sounds loud and clear, just the way I like it. I feel it even stands a chance on the dancefloor and will be the favourite track of a lot of all-time fans!
Title track Sparks Around Us sounds like a classic TBOL track: violin, keyboards, drums, bass, vocals … It’s a very haunting tracks, sending out light into the dark and sand world anno 2020! The Girl In The Box starts with a floating sound and gets taken over by Isabelle’s trembling voice that goes pretty high. I can see her performing this one on stage whilst making her classic moves with her hands and looking up with her eyes and now and then clapping with her hands. I like the deep bass touch. The sliding and ripping guitar towards the end is also pretty cool. She Is Not Real is one of those typical TBOL dreamy kinda tracks with a retro touch. So Low gets lead by the violin and the bass, whilst Isabelle walks over the vocals chords, going high and low. My Runaway Call has a very American sound (like being part of Lost Highway). Her Dreamcloud sounds a bit like a fairy-tale and sounds very girlish. Every Other Day sounds like living in 2020 in full lockdown, where the walls are almost hitting you (done here by the drums). You try to escape, but … at least that is what my imagination is telling me. How sounds like a walk in the park during autumn: leaves are softly falling of the trees, with now and then a little outburst. In Her Darkness is a soft, dark & haunting track following water from spring to the sea … (at least in my imagination). I would describe it as a dreampop song. Last one is A Soul Reflection a soft song that takes us into the darkness and looks for the sun too. It’s a poppy walk towards the end of a regular TBOL album.
