wiretap scars

180 gram audiophile vinyl
Gatefold sleeve
Insert

Wiretap Scars (2002) is the first full length album by US post-Hardcore band Sparta. Formed in 2001 after the disbanding of the group At The Drive-In, three ex-members Jim Ward, Paul Hinojos & Tony Hajjar quickly collaborated again to form Sparta. They recruited Matt Miller to complete the line-up and within a year released their first EP, Austere. They followed up quickly with their first LP, Wiretap Scars.

The album fills the void where At The Drive-In focused on post-Hardcore, leaving the relentless experimentation to Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez in Mars Volta and focusing instead on a terse melodic sense. It's accessible, but on Sparta's own terms. The vocals and track naming in particular reflect At the Drive-In's Relationship Of Command, the last album made by the group. This is in contrast to the music of The Mars Volta, formed by two other members of ATDI (Omar and Cedric), which departs entirely from the post-hardcore genre.

Wiretap Scars peaked at #71 on the US Billboard 200.

Side A
1. Cut Your Ribbon
2. Air
3. Mye
4. Collapse
5. Sans Cosm
6. Light Burns Clear

Side B
1. Cataract
2. Red Alibi
3. Coup
4. Glasshouse Tarot
5. Echodyne Harmonic
6. Assemble The Empire