Threes is the third studio album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

 by Sparta

Sparta (band)

Sparta is an American band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. Founding members Jim Ward and Tony Hajjar are former members of post-hardcore group At the Drive-In...

, released on October 24, 2006 and peaked at #83 on the Billboard 200

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

. It is their first album with new guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 Keeley Davis

Keeley Davis

Keeley Davis is an American rock musician and graphic designer from Richmond, Virginia.He was the primary lead singer of the band Engine Down, in which he also played guitar. He was also in the band Denali with his sister, Maura Davis...

, previously of Engine Down

Engine Down

Engine Down was a four-piece rock band from Richmond, Virginia, active from 1996-2005. They were a part of the Washington, D.C. area post-hardcore movement, along with bands like The Dismemberment Plan, Q and Not U, and Faraquet...

 and Denali. Several new tracks, including the single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 "Taking Back Control

Taking Back Control

"Taking Back Control" is a single by the rock band Sparta. It is one of their well known hits and the first single from the album Threes. The song peaked at #25 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and #24 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart....

" are available for streaming on the band's MySpace

MySpace

Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

 page. http://www.myspace.com/sparta

The album was made available for streaming several days before its release on the band's MySpace site. A leaked copy of the album surfaced on the internet as well during early October 2006. Initial reviews were mixed, ranging from average to excellent (see reviews section). The album is generally considered to be darker and more complex than previous offerings, differing greatly from previous material in some places with callbacks in others.

Jim Ward explains the meaning of Threes. "Threes is a reference to the number 3 being important in my life. A lot of intersections happen involving that number, this record was a big changing point for me. The artwork is left to be interpreted by the viewer, you get a lot of interesting ideas form [sic] folks, I like it."http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=188192

On April 9, 2008 an official blog was posted on Sparta's Myspace page announcing the release of Threes on double vinyl after being in development for some time. It is limited to 1,000 copies with 3 different colors, and features a completely different tracklisting, including the bonus tracks split up amongst various versions of the CD release. 200 copies on peach vinyl with black splatter, 300 copies on white vinyl, 500 copies on black vinyl with peach splatter. Orders can be placed through Vinyl Collective, the company distributing the double LP, and are expected to ship April 19, 2008.

Track listing

1. "Untreatable Disease" - 3:19
2. "Crawl" - 3:54
3. "Unstitch Your Mouth" - 3:07
4. "Taking Back Control
   Taking Back Control
   "Taking Back Control" is a single by the rock band Sparta. It is one of their well known hits and the first single from the album Threes. The song peaked at #25 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and #24 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart....
   
   " - 3:41
5. "Erase It Again" - 3:37
6. "Atlas" - 4:30
7. "The Most Vicious Crime" - 6:20
8. "False Start" 3:51
9. "Weather the Storm" - 4:43
10. "Red.Right.Return. (Straight In Our Hands)" - 4:30
11. "Without a Sound" - 3:18
12. "Translations" - 4:33

Bonus Tracks

• "Blood Spills" (iTunes/Japan Bonus Track) - 3:44
• "As Far As We Go" (FYE/Japan Bonus Track) - 3:37
• "Born and Buried" (European Bonus Track) - 3:03

Double Vinyl Tracklisting

Side A:

1. "The Most Vicious Crime"
2. "Born and Buried"
3. "Crawl"
4. "Red.Right.Return. (Straight In Our Hands)"

Side B:

1. "Weather the Storm"
2. "Without a Sound"
3. "Erase It Again"
4. "False Start"

Side C:

1. "Untreatable Disease"
2. "Taking Back Control"
3. "Blood Spills"
4. "As Far As We Go"

Side D:

1. "Unstitch Your Mouth"
2. "Translations"
3. "Atlas"

• Although not stated as an actual track, in the details about who sings background vocals, the song "We've Already Lost" is stated, without any prior mention of this song on either the Vinyl/LP or CD version.

Contributing Artists

• Sparta
  Sparta (band)
  Sparta is an American band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. Founding members Jim Ward and Tony Hajjar are former members of post-hardcore group At the Drive-In...
  
   - Primary Artist
• Merry Clayton
  Merry Clayton
  Merry Clayton is an American soul and gospel singer , and an actress...
  
   - Background Vocals on 'Atlas' and 'Translations'
• Chris Henrich - Pedal Steel Guitar
• Keeley Davis
  Keeley Davis
  Keeley Davis is an American rock musician and graphic designer from Richmond, Virginia.He was the primary lead singer of the band Engine Down, in which he also played guitar. He was also in the band Denali with his sister, Maura Davis...
  
   - Guitar, Vocals
• Tony Hajjar
  Tony Hajjar
  Tony Hajjar is a Lebanese American drummer, best known for playing in At the Drive-In and Sparta.-Biography:...
  
   - Drums
• Matt Miller
  Matt Miller (musician)
  Matt Miller is a native of El Paso, Texas and the bassist for the Post-hardcore band, Sparta. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.-Sparta:...
  
   - Bass, Backup Vocals
• Jim Ward
  Jim Ward (musician)
  James David Ward is an American musician. A self-taught guitarist and pianist, he was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the band Sparta; he was also the co-founder of the seminal post-hardcore band At the Drive-In.-At the Drive-In:While in At the Drive-In, Ward played rhythm guitar and...
  
   - Guitar, Vocals

Technical Credits

• Liz Smith - Guitar Technician
• Joe Chiccarelli - Engineer
• Alan Yoshida - Mastering
• Dave Bassett
  Dave Bassett
  David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....
  
   - Producer, Engineer
• Gregg Keplinger
  Gregg Keplinger
  Gregg Keplinger is an American drummer, drum maker, and drum tech from Seattle, Washington.-As a drummer:Keplinger began playing the drums at the age of 14, and has played in a large variety of bands ranging across many different styles, from Jazz to New Wave to R&B.-Drum Making:Keplinger began...
  
   - Drum Technician
• Ray Wallace
  Ray Wallace
  Ray Wallace may refer to:*Raymond L. Wallace, US Bigfoot researcher*Ray Wallace * Ray Wallace , Mayor of Lower Hutt, New Zealand*A character in 24*Ray Wallace , NFL running back...
  
  - Paintings
• Jared Kvitka - Assistant Engineer
• George Gumbs - Engineer
• Erik Ron - Digital Editing
• Geert Teuwen - Cover Photo

Buildup and Release

Prior to the release, the band released a variety of statements, videos and other information for fans.

Podcasts

Podcasts by the band, released at irregular intervals and featuring a variety of homemade footage of them in studio and at other locations were made available to fans. They can be seen on their website, but were usually released on their MySpace page.

Personal Message

The band released a message to fans prior to the release of the album, thanking them for their support and kind words. It is currently available for viewing on the Sparta MySpace.

Music Videos

The music video for the single "Taking Back Control" was released on Yahoo Music in mid-October 2006. It can still be viewed for free on this website. The music video for the second single, "Erase It Again", can be viewed through the band's website.

Website Redesign

An entirely redesigned website was launched just prior to the release of Threes. The site starts with a splash screen incorporating elements from the Eme Nakia film, Threes, and the individual band members. Sections included on the site include News, Tour, Media, Store, Contact and links to the fan run community Without a Sound as well as a signup page for the Sparta mailing list.

Album Versions

According the their official website, several different versions of the album were made available, depending on where they were purchased. Albums bought from Best Buy

Best Buy

Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...

 include a DVD with the short film Eme Nakia. Many independent record stores gave away limited edition Lithograph

Lithography

Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...

 posters with painted portraits of Jim, Matt, Tony and Keely.

FYE

Fyé

Fyé is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in north-western France.-References:*...

 albums included a bonus CD with an unreleased Sparta track titled "As Far As We Go" with each purchase. Purchasing the entire album on iTunes

ITunes

iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

also includes a bonus track titled "Blood Spills".