Review: Sleepmakeswaves - in Today Already Walks Tomorrow
2008-05-29 17:55
"Ambient Shoegazing Post-Rock Band":
Ingredients
1 ethereal name (all lowercase if possible)
1/2 cup verbose song titles
2 cups guitar effects (delay preferred)
1 violin bow (if you have it)
750g central rhythmic theme
1/2 cup self-raising melody
200g electronic effects (can be replaced with samples)
Pinch of vocals to taste (may be omitted)
Method
Combine guitar effects, violin bow, central rhythmic theme and self-raising melody in a large mixing bowl. Add electronic effects, samples and a pinch of vocals if desired. Bake for 40-60 minutes and cut into jagged shapes. Top with verbose song titles.
Serves millions of indie kids.
Variation
sleepmakeswaves adhere to most of the the accepted conventions of modern post-rock: they have the strange name, the ridiculous song titles, and the beautiful cover artwork. It could also be argued that their music conforms to the "post-rock standard" devised by the likes of Mogwai over 10 years ago, but that would be oversimplifying things, not to mention unfair to their skills as musicians and writers.
Within a post-rock framework sleepmakeswaves have created an EP that is dynamic, bombastic and above all, mesmerising. The music sweeps from delicately-textured ambience to shattering metallic riffage and back again in the blink of an eye, held together and underpinned by driving rhythms and delicious melodies.
This is best exemplified on the opening track "I Will Write Peace On Your Wings And You Will Fly Over The World". The song starts out demonstrating sleepmakeswaves' heavier side, building up with a rolling, forward-moving distorted guitar riff and occasionally exploding to reveal tiny slivers of full-blown noise metal.
The metal subsides, and the listener is given a glimpse of the exquisitely-crafted textures to come. A simple melody from a single guitar is slowly joined by keyboards, drums and eventually bass, thrusting the melody slowly but surely headlong into a massive wall of sound, a technique employed so successfully by Explosions In The Sky.
"Exits To Nowhere", by comparison, begins more sparse, with clean guitars and soothing dolphin-esque sound effect suddenly being overcome by thunderously heavy guitars and a liberal dose of bass drum. At less than four minutes long, it is the shortest track on the album, but still manages to carve its own unique space in that time, acting as a bridge between the epic six-minute plus tracks either side of it.
On the other side of that bridge is "One Day You Will Teach Me To Let Go Of My Fears" (also available on sleepmakeswaves' self-titled demo, released for free online through netlabel Lost Children). A faster-paced, uplifting journey utilising strings to project a more cinematic mood, the decision to include this older song on the EP was inspired, with the track forming the emotional centrepiece of the record.
The pace is slowed down once again towards the end of "One Day You Will Teach Me To Let Go Of My Fears", and in fades "So That The Children Will Always Shout Her Name", a surreal, dreamy track that seemlessly blends Mogwai with the electronic influence of 65daysofstatic. Dripping with intensity and aggression, a static effect over much of the track gives the song an old-timey feel, the aural equivalent of a sepia filter.
With an electronic back-beat again reminiscent of 65daysofstatic and a light sprinkling of piano blanketing "It's Cold, It's Dark, It's Winter", the next song perfectly embodies the mood implied by its title. With what sounds like a heartbeat we are led into the final track, "What We Cannot Speak Of Must Be Passed Over In Silence", and suddenly you realise that you've unconsciously lost yourself in music for 30 minutes.
At over eight minutes in length, it brings the EP to an epic, forward-looking and optimistic close. The heaviness and dynamism is given a rest to begin with, concentrating more on a subtle, dreamy music-box melody before suddenly exploding once more into a wall of jarring guitars, driving drum beat and the occasional flurry of electronic sound effects. But they subside just as quickly as they came, with the album shrinking to an understated close, gradually fading out into nothingness.
As the final song on the album, "What We Cannot Speak Of Must Be Passed Over In Silence" book-ends well with the first track, lending the EP a feeling more like that of a complete album than merely a collection of songs.
sleepmakeswaves are a band that defy their years, having formed in 2006 and already released two collections of songs that have received grassroots acclaim all over the world. It is obviously very hard to break into the over-crowded, under-inspired worldwide post-rock market, but if given half a chance, sleepmakeswaves could take over the world with their evocative, emotionally-powerful and dynamic sound.
You can listen to sleepmakeswaves for yourself on their MySpace page: www.myspace.com/sleepmakeswaves.
Review: Sleepmakeswaves - in Today Already Walks Tomorrow
2008-05-29 17:55Ingredients
Method
Combine guitar effects, violin bow, central rhythmic theme and self-raising melody in a large mixing bowl. Add electronic effects, samples and a pinch of vocals if desired. Bake for 40-60 minutes and cut into jagged shapes. Top with verbose song titles.
Serves millions of indie kids.
Variation
sleepmakeswaves adhere to most of the the accepted conventions of modern post-rock: they have the strange name, the ridiculous song titles, and the beautiful cover artwork. It could also be argued that their music conforms to the "post-rock standard" devised by the likes of Mogwai over 10 years ago, but that would be oversimplifying things, not to mention unfair to their skills as musicians and writers.
Within a post-rock framework sleepmakeswaves have created an EP that is dynamic, bombastic and above all, mesmerising. The music sweeps from delicately-textured ambience to shattering metallic riffage and back again in the blink of an eye, held together and underpinned by driving rhythms and delicious melodies.
This is best exemplified on the opening track "I Will Write Peace On Your Wings And You Will Fly Over The World". The song starts out demonstrating sleepmakeswaves' heavier side, building up with a rolling, forward-moving distorted guitar riff and occasionally exploding to reveal tiny slivers of full-blown noise metal.
The metal subsides, and the listener is given a glimpse of the exquisitely-crafted textures to come. A simple melody from a single guitar is slowly joined by keyboards, drums and eventually bass, thrusting the melody slowly but surely headlong into a massive wall of sound, a technique employed so successfully by Explosions In The Sky.
"Exits To Nowhere", by comparison, begins more sparse, with clean guitars and soothing dolphin-esque sound effect suddenly being overcome by thunderously heavy guitars and a liberal dose of bass drum. At less than four minutes long, it is the shortest track on the album, but still manages to carve its own unique space in that time, acting as a bridge between the epic six-minute plus tracks either side of it.
On the other side of that bridge is "One Day You Will Teach Me To Let Go Of My Fears" (also available on sleepmakeswaves' self-titled demo, released for free online through netlabel Lost Children). A faster-paced, uplifting journey utilising strings to project a more cinematic mood, the decision to include this older song on the EP was inspired, with the track forming the emotional centrepiece of the record.
The pace is slowed down once again towards the end of "One Day You Will Teach Me To Let Go Of My Fears", and in fades "So That The Children Will Always Shout Her Name", a surreal, dreamy track that seemlessly blends Mogwai with the electronic influence of 65daysofstatic. Dripping with intensity and aggression, a static effect over much of the track gives the song an old-timey feel, the aural equivalent of a sepia filter.
With an electronic back-beat again reminiscent of 65daysofstatic and a light sprinkling of piano blanketing "It's Cold, It's Dark, It's Winter", the next song perfectly embodies the mood implied by its title. With what sounds like a heartbeat we are led into the final track, "What We Cannot Speak Of Must Be Passed Over In Silence", and suddenly you realise that you've unconsciously lost yourself in music for 30 minutes.
At over eight minutes in length, it brings the EP to an epic, forward-looking and optimistic close. The heaviness and dynamism is given a rest to begin with, concentrating more on a subtle, dreamy music-box melody before suddenly exploding once more into a wall of jarring guitars, driving drum beat and the occasional flurry of electronic sound effects. But they subside just as quickly as they came, with the album shrinking to an understated close, gradually fading out into nothingness.
As the final song on the album, "What We Cannot Speak Of Must Be Passed Over In Silence" book-ends well with the first track, lending the EP a feeling more like that of a complete album than merely a collection of songs.
sleepmakeswaves are a band that defy their years, having formed in 2006 and already released two collections of songs that have received grassroots acclaim all over the world. It is obviously very hard to break into the over-crowded, under-inspired worldwide post-rock market, but if given half a chance, sleepmakeswaves could take over the world with their evocative, emotionally-powerful and dynamic sound.
You can listen to sleepmakeswaves for yourself on their MySpace page: www.myspace.com/sleepmakeswaves.