Album Review: Alain Johannes - Spark

Alain Johannes - Spark

Release Date October 5, 2010

Ipecac / Rekords Rekords

It is not that often that an album comes along where the artist so honest, soulful, raw, and real that it feels somewhat voyeuristic to listen to. This is the case in the first solo album from long time Josh Homme associate Alain Johannes entitled Spark. You may know Alain Johannes from his work with Eleven, Queens of the Stone Age, Spinnerette, and Them Crooked Vultures. He's even the man behind arguably one of the best Desert Sessions tracks Making a Cross. He is a muti-instrumentalist to the fullest extent, using oddball instruments like the cigfiddle, santoor, and marxophone along with the traditional guitar, bass, flute, mandolin, keyboard... you get the picture?

Spark, in effect, is a requiem for Johannes's  musical partner and soul mate Natasha Shneider, who passed in 2008. Spark not only is a dedication to Shneider but is a musical journal of sorts, chronicling Johannes's  grieving process.  Needless to say, this album is not a party starter. The main instrument is a cigar box guitar accompanied by various Latin and Flamenco elements. I'm surprised a "Boomba" is not featured on the album.

                                     This is my Boomba, it needs a new hi-hat

Spark begins with the Latin stomper "Endless Eyes", an all out whirlwind of instruments seamless coming together under Johannes's  vocals that exclaim It's killing me that I must go on living/Just to fill this cup of promise/With Meaning. Multiple guitars (one is even the slidey version) and an array of percussion instruments such as maracas and castanets which makes for a very busy and driving track. This busyness  and controlled chaos leads into the beach campfire sing-a-long "Return to You", a feathery upbeat song which is reminiscent of George Harrison's Give me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) and Mutations era Beck. 

The third track is "Speechless". With a repetitious guitar piece (with some variations) and Johannes's haunting vocals, this is a direct dedication to Shneider. If you take a look at the lyric page on his website, the only lyrics with and alternative color is the line "I'm speechless when I pray" which may as well be the line summing up the album. Make God Jealous starts out with a minute long Jimmy Page-esque acoustic guitar freak out which leads into a Latin drum backed swaying melody which is the meat of the track, along with a high octane acoustic solo in the middle. In final the seconds, the tempo picks up and Johannes gets fancy with the guitar again. This is song where his guitar skills truly shine.

Spider is probably my favorite track on the album, it is probably one of the most descriptive. With fast picking, deep synthesizers, a Theremin (I think) and an appearance of Johannes's falsetto, Spider tells the story of just that, a spider on Shneider's grave stone. This is a reminder of just what the album is all about.

The Bleeding Whole is another slow, soft, swaying song with a simple riff and an impressive vocal display by Johannes in the chorus.  Gentle Ghosts picks up where Endless Eyes left off. A thumping Latin rager that sets us up for the albums somber conclusion. Finally, Unfinished Plan closes the album on a mournful note saying Oh you were note afraid of letting go/So I am not afraid of letting go. 

Sometimes when an artist is at a virtuoso level, they can tend to make music that stresses complexity and speed in lieu of soul and groove. Luckily, Johannes has found a happy medium of showing off his skill and having a very personal and haunting album. The release date is also very appropriate. Spark correlates well with this time of year, a summer release just wouldn't feel right. 

For some, this album may drag towards the end. Spark defiantly has "its own thing going on" and it does not stray much. However, due to it being only 8 easily digestible tracks and just under an half hour, that is not much of an issue. Also, this could be a very hard album to "get" if you've never experienced anything traumatic in your life... or are under 19. Spark is a very mature album that tackles a very serious part of life. It's a celebration of love and a documentation of loss. It is an unapologetic ode to Natasha Shneider where we, the listener, get to peer into the soul of Alain Johannes. On a scale of "Loves it" to "Not So Much" Spark get an "I really likes it".

1. Endless Eyes (3:17)
2. Gentle Ghosts (2:46)
3. Make God Jealous (4:58)
4. Return To You (3:05)
5. Speechless (3:46)
6. Spider (3:45)
7. The Bleeding Whole (3:37)
8. Unfinished Plan (4:01)

Length 29:15

www.alainjohannes.com