Now we need to record the bagpipe tracks". These words were pronounced by Sparkle in Grey while recording their album "Mexico", on the second day of a week-end session with Cristiano Santini, leaving him flabbergasted. lt was April 2008, quite a while back; in that same year their previous record, "A Quiet Place", had been released with Disasters By Choice.
The latter, critically acclaimed, has been compared to the work of the most disparate artists: Labradford, King Crimson, Massive Attack, Sol lnvictus, Piano Magic and Tuxedomoon were frequent references.
lt's hard to say whether those who have listened to that record have actually grasped what really influenced the band members during the making of that record, but things have got even more weird with "Mexico", where a greater number of instruments stratify.
Amongst those who have participated in the making of the record, the aforementioned Santini (ex Disciplinatha), Giuseppe Ielasi (mixing engineer) and Andrea Sarrapiglio (with Buzolich's Evangelista - mastering engineer) create a new-wave / experimental / post-rock triad where the band's music blends in graciously, this maybe due to previous collaborations with M.B., OvO, Micecars, and Tex La Homa.
It is, therefore, hard to define the true nature of "Mexico", with its dark hues, but possibly not as melancholy as the previous works. The title speaks of escape, of shelter, a place anything but quiet, a land of contrast where desperate violence is generated by the economic gap. The multi-coloured graphics and naif artwork of the band suggest a glimmer of hope, possibly as a means to deceive the audience.
The same artwork, entirely hand drawn, was used to make an animated video for the song "Goose Game". The reasons why that song belongs to the previous record, and it took "Mexico" three years before it was released, are questions that will remain unanswered.