Sparta Work In Threes: An Album, A Film And A New Label

Texas-based rockers Sparta are back with their latest release, Threes — the band's third studio album, but first for Hollywood Records.

Threes is the first Sparta release to feature Keeley Davis, who previously fronted the rock band Engines Down. Davis fills the void left by Paul Hinojos, who exited the group in May 2005 to join his former At The Drive-In bandmates in The Mars Volta. Hinojos replaced the deceased Jeremy Ward, the cousin of Sparta frontman Jim Ward. Sparta are rounded out by drummer Tony Hajjar and bassist Matt Miller.

The 12-song album closes with "Translations," which features backing vocals from Merry Clayton, who's best known for her contribution to The Rolling Stones classic, "Gimme Shelter." The album's first single, "Taking Back Control," features vocals by both Ward and Davis and can be streamed on the band's MySpace page.

Sparta have created a short film titled Eme Nakia to accompany Threes. It's based on drummer Hajjar's childhood growing up in Beirut, Lebanon and his family's move to El Paso, Texas to escape the warfare that plagued the country from 1975 to 1990 and has once again flared up in the Middle East country.

Sparta will perform some of their new material at Lollapalooza, which is being held from Aug. 4-6 at Chicago's Grant Park.

Meanwhile, Ward has teamed up with Doghouse Records to distribute records from his Civil Defense League label. The first release will be How Will We Know We Are Dead?, which features poetry from Bobby Byrd put to music by Ward. An album by Reflections, a band led by former Rhythm Of Black Lines guitarist/vocalist Clint Newsom, is also planned.

Here are the tracks on Threes:

"Untreatable Disease"
"Crawl"
"Unstitch Your Mouth"
"Taking Back Control"
"Erase It Again"
"Atlas"
"The Most Vicious Crime"
"False Start"
"Weather The Storm"
"Red.Right.Return. (Straight In Our Hands)"
"Without A Sound"
"Translations"