Eric Sporer aka Air Show Disaster is a multi-instrumentalist from Brooklyn, NY, currently living in Tacoma, WA. Sporer has been playing in bands for decades but this solo project is his current focus. Sporer recently released Desert Noir which is basically a double album. There are fifteen songs total. Sporer explains “The album is a concept album, telling the story of a man who happens upon a murder scene while driving through the desert, becomes implicated, and must survive in the wild while trying to clear his name.”
It’s primarily a rock based album but I would say there’s a decent amount of experimentation. The album gets going with “A Slow, Slow Burn” which begins with a couple guitars. I can say for sure Sporer does an excellent job making you feel you’re in a vast desert. It’s an intro of sorts.
The next song “Devil Among Us” starts out of some guitar work but soon enough drums, vocals and bass start to trickle in. It’s a heavy sound and dark. The guitar sounds good with a fair amount of fuzz. Sporer has no problem using dissonance effectively. “Mexico” is next and the energy ramps up here. Sporer utilizes some phaser effects and because of that adds to the drive of the song.
Some songs are really all about the mood and very ambient. Take for instance “Sunset Slinker.” The first two minutes combine a deep bass with an organ to create a slow burn that slowly rises. Drums come in around the two-minute mark as the guitars become more active.
Sporer is just getting started. There’s basically a mix of sound collages and more that fleshed out traditional sounding songs. I thought there were some standouts. One of the most fully realized songs was “Psychosis on the Run” which rocks out hard. Sporer nails a late ’60s and early ’70s flavor that was fun. It’s also one of the more dynamic songs on the album.
The centerpiece is arguably “Trails in the Sand” which is a little over six minutes. It’s the most epic song on the album. I loved the scales and melodies on the song which had a very Eastern flavor to it. There’s some really well done guitar work. This song reminded me a little of the band Tool.
Sporer can also strip things down. “Deepdarkwoods” revolves around an acoustic guitar and vocals while “Nightfall” contains haunting piano notes. I thought there were some other high points like “Putting It All Together,” “Blood Lust” and “Catch and Release.”
This was an impressive album. It’s one that is meant to be listened to from beginning to end. The themes really seem to come together when you listen like that. Sporer is a talented musician. Take a listen.