Shane Sparks = Faith, My Atheist Love

Some reviewer once wrote I had a “Hazy angst mixed with cool apathy.” I thought that was pretty great.

Faith, My Atheist Love is my little music project and, arguably, an extension of the worst part of my micro-managing, controlling nature. I play and write everything with the help of computers and whatnot.

About High Achievers EP

“High Achievers” is an exploration of the complication of adult life. It delves into the alienation and disconnect that comes with trappings of middle class adult life – when life is mostly consumed with things you HAVE to do, not things you WANT to do. When you look at your life and wonder, how did this happen?

For me the alienation started when I was fully locked into my role as provider to a family of six. I used to have a weekly anxiety attack. Always around 4:20am on Sunday’s. I’m not sure the significance of 4:20am, but I’d wake up in a cold sweat, realizing I had a whole bunch of people who relied on me, and there was a bunch of things I couldn’t control that could hurt them. Every Sunday like clockwork.

So I’d work harder to provide what we needed, because I could control that, and I thought achievement would chase that little demon away.

And then my life blew up a little for a few years. (See my first album “Broken Lovers” for the chronology.) Afterwards I was changed. I stopped working so hard, started being more present in my life. Shed some superficial ambitions and realized “control” “success” “achievement” are false promises. So the idea for “High Achievers” was to get at that a bit.

Musically, “High Achievers” is influenced by the new wave bands of my youth, and modern indie rock acts like The National, Bon Iver, and Frightened Rabbit.

- Shane Sparks / Faith, My Atheist Love
September 1, 2011 

Contact:

Email: shanesparks [at] shaw.ca
Twitter: @sm_sparks