Red Sparowes ‎– Every Red Heart Shines Toward The Red Sun [12", 2LP]

EVERY RED HEART SHINES TOWARD THE RED SUN is the second album by RED SPAROWES, a post-metal band with members of (a.o.) Isis. I only have a few albums of them, but this is definitely my favourite. It's not as heavy as Isis or Neurosis, but just as epic. And completely instrumental. Judging from the (extremely lengthy) song titles, the album is themed around the Great Leap Forward during Mao's reign over China, during which there was a campaign to kill all sparowes in the country because they were considered a pest. But this disturbance of the ecological balance was resulting in locust eating the harvest, and causing a major famine in which at least 20 million people died. Impressive story. The album was released in 2006 and pressed in various colours. My copy is from the second pressing in 2007, when there were 500 made in "clear with gold smoke". It looks great. And sounds great too!

Label: Robotic Empire
Cat.nr.: RBE-065
Year of release: 2006

SIDE A:
01. The Great Leap Forward Poured Down Upon Us One Day Like A Mighty Storm, Suddenly And Furiously Blinding Our Senses
02. We Stood Transfixed In Blank Devotion As Our Leader Spoke To Us, Looking Down On Our Mute Faces With A Great, Raging, And Unseeing Eye

SIDE B:
01. Like The Howling Glory Of The Darkest Winds, This Voice Was Thunderous And The Words Holy, Tangling Their Way Around Our Hearts And Clutching Our Innocent Awe
02. A Message Of Avarice Rained Down And Carried Us Away Into False Dreams Of Endless Riches

SIDE C:
01. "Annihilate The Sparrow, That Stealer Of Seed, And Our Harvests Will Abound; We Will Watch Our Wealth Flood In."
02. And By Our Own Hand Did Every Last Bird Lie Silent In Their Puddles, The Air Barren Of Song As The Clouds Drifted Away. For Killing Their Greatest Enemy, The Locusts Noisily Thanked Us And Turned Their Jaws Toward Our Crops, Swallowing Our Greed Whole

SIDE D:
01. Millions Starved And We Became Skinnier And Skinnier, While Our Leaders Became Fatter And Fatter
02. Finally, As That Blazing Sun Shone Down Upon Us, Did We Know That True Enemy Was The Voice Of Blind Idolatry; And Only Then Did We Begin To Think For Ourselves