Sparta
Porcelain
(Dreamworks)
When At The Drive-In splintered, few thought Sparta would outdo rival offshoot Mars Volta. But it did. On its second full-length, Porcelain, Sparta deals with the consistency problems that marred the debut while also avoiding the trap of trying to appease newfound critical expectations. “Breaking The Broken,” “Lines in Sand” and “Splinters” are unforced, simple and at times monumental rock songs that should leave little doubt as to the source of ATDI’s true pop-punk sensibility.
—Dave Hayden
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.