Radon Reviews: Sparrow & the Workshop “Spitting Daggers”

Where do I start with the sublime Sparrow and the Workshop album Spitting Daggers? Having just finished my first complete listen of the album despite picking at it in chunks here and there, I feel like I saved the best for last. While the whole album is really something truly special, the final track, “Soft Sound of Your Voice” left me feeling absolutely touched. But how did the album get to this point, to make one track hit so hard and leave me with no other options than to start from the beginning?

Sparrow and the Workshop are really a truly amazing band that I am glad to be aware of, and Spitting Daggers builds and continues a legacy put forth by their previous release Crystals Fall. Typically starting each song with an unassuming, innocent build-up, the band explodes into every chorus with an absolute burst of energy and noise. Look no further than the opening riffs of “Pact to Stay Cold” to get a feel for just what this album plans to do sonically throughout. Songs like “Against the Grain” and “Snakes in the Grass” have all the raw beauty of a Lush song with all the northern European twang and harmony of The Cranberries. 

While the band is Scottish, lead singer Jill O’Sullivan was born in Ireland, raised in Chicago, and all of those cultural influences really come together. Every song on this album is great, it’s a total smash hit that fires on all pistons. It might have too strong of a soft/loud dichotomy for some, but that kind of music really gets me going, and then when the last song, “Soft Sound of Your Voice” plays…. The haunting slow guitar and lullaby-sound of the vocals are like a cold shower. You let everything sort of melt you down and relax, and then with one last thrust, the song explodes into broken-down screaming and distortion before settling down one last time. It’s chilling, and to me was a profound punctuation to cap off a fully brilliant album.

I feel bad that an album this good gets reviewed right after my Top 5 list for the year, but Spitting Daggers is good. Scary good. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m talking about Sparrow and the Workshop a year from now, saying just how much I still listen to and love this album. If this band isn’t on your radar, they need to be. They’re fantastic. I love them. And I want you to love them too. So I’m telling you right now. Figure out a way to get a good listen to this album in before you forget. It warms the soul like hot chocolate.