Asleep

Cleveland, Ohio’s Asleep makes some seriously well-controlled rock music that refuses to settle on a single sub-genre. On their new album Unpleasant Companion (produced by the masterful Steve Albini), the guitar sounds remain pretty consistently buzzy, the drums thumping, and vocalist Todd Kaden directly up front in the mix, but the songs don’t always sound like they’re from the same record, for better and for worse. Sometimes anthemic, sometimes cheesy, sometimes raucous, this new LP lurches around for any memorable feel the four-piece can latch onto and doesn’t let go, no matter what kind of a jump they have to make to get to it.
The juxtaposition of “Deserted” and “Delirium Tremens” at the center of the album makes this point rather succinctly. The former thrives on thrumming bass, Dinosaur Jr. guitar atmospherics, and Kaden’s wailing, sky-scraping voice, while the latter buries the guitars in a subdued, shoegazey warble, the bass suddenly stuttering and popping. Both songs sound completely fluid, the band locking pieces of the puzzle together like they’d been built that way. That said, neither really finds a hook to match Kaden’s impassioned, high-flown delivery.

The little flourishes of Albini’s influence (whether directly from the recording process or through inspiration) are extremely successful. The bass on “Must’ve Been” is incredibly gritty and rich, and the off-kilter punches and feedback-y guitar solo of “Drama Junkie” represent real highlights, the band letting loose together. But too often the album sounds like a band trying to fit songs into a certain, controlled, dramatic position, rather than developing an organic power. The musicianship is nothing short of excellent, but there’s a deficiency in memorable hooks and raw energy.
- Consequence of Sound

Unlike so many of the artists legendary studio curmudgeon Steve Albini has worked with, Youngstown indie rockers Asleep are neither crunchy nor abrasive. In fact, the songs on their new album, Unpleasant Companion (which comes out next week), are kinda sweet and chewy, propelled by Todd Kaden's soft, tuneful voice. It's a far scream from the anguished howls of PJ Harvey, Nirvana, and Pixies, with whom Albini is usually associated. "Our band isn't exactly the most punk-rock-sounding thing," admits guitarist Jon Dean. "But his discography is so intense, and he's worked with every single genre known to mankind."

Because Albini's method is to pretty much let bands do what they want to in his Chicago studio, with minimal input, there's a certain rawness to Unpleasant Companion. The album was recorded in just four days, and the quick turnaround gives the record a jolt of immediacy that was missing from Asleep's previous two releases.

Before the quartet (newcomers Cory Snyder on bass and drummer Shawn Logan join founding members Dean and Kaden) hooked up with Albini, "we rehearsed sensibly," says Dean. "We called him up and said, 'Hey, make us a real band.' But I have no idea if he even listened to our music before he said yes." (Albini also recorded Cloud Nothings' new album, Attack on Memory, giving him claim to two of 2012's best local albums so far.)

Buzz has been building for Unpleasant Companion over the past month. Guitar World and Relix streamed a couple of the songs, which combine working-class Rust Belt values with modern technology. "I was raised by a steelworker," says Dean, "so I'm not exactly hip. We didn't lock ourselves in a cottage on a North Dakota mountaintop to write our record. We made a record about the internet. We have all this technology and information in the palm of our hands. The record is about what we choose to do with this information." - Cleveland Scene Magazine

Asleep’s new album “Unpleasant Companion” possesses a sound that manages to blend the influences of Incubus, Nirvana and Radiohead into a harmonious overall sound.

“Unpleasant Companion” opens with speed and force in the first two tracks “Hip to Def” and “Drama Junkie.”

Possibly the catchiest song on the album, “Hip To Def” sets the pace of “Unpleasant Companion” with fast-beating drums and loud vocals. Asleep demands the attention of the audience with melodic energy that will immediately entice the listener.

With heavier drums and guitar, “Drama Junkie” introduces more emotional vocals to the album while maintaining the fast-paced style of “Hip to Def.”

While the vibes of “Hip To Def” and “Drama Junkie” are exciting and full of adrenaline, “Deserted” brings to light a slower side of the album. The vocals remain loud and upbeat, but the speedy and powerful instrumental of “Hip To Def” and “Drama Junkie” are replaced by a steady soft rhythm, introducing the listener to a mellow side of the band.

A choppy guitar lead, juxtaposed with throbbing backup guitar, encapsulates heartache in “Delirium Tremens.”

The heavy chord lines of “Must’ve Been” don’t quite match its tranquil vocal melody. However, the two manage to complement each other to create a fluid harmonious ambiance. By the end of the song, the music fades, and listeners are left with the noises of different voices from a television changing as though listening to someone channel surfing. The style in which Asleep concludes “Must’ve Been” reveals Asleep’s experimental side in the album.

“Big Sister” suggests a darker tone of “Unpleasant Companion.” The end of the song climaxes with high-pitched vocals and heavy, tormented guitar.

The album picks up momentum in “Static Mirrors,” returning to the fast-paced guitar riffs that characterize the first songs of the album. Distorted guitar riffs add a new sound to the album that credit a larger range in the artists’ capabilities and creativity. The end of “Static Mirrors” leaves the listener with chaotic static noises that lead to the final song on “Unpleasant Companion”: “Magik Numbers.”

“Magik Numbers” concludes the album with a soft, ambient acoustic sound reinforced by the repeated lyrics “It was all a dream,” suggesting the listener wake up from the 30-minute trance.

Asleep covers many genres and styles in “Unpleasant Companion.” The combination of these different styles makes it imperative that the album is heard in order from beginning to end, and not on an individual song basis.

“Hip To Def” and “Drama Junkie” immediately catch the listener’s ear, but it takes patience to truly appreciate the rest of the album. Though “Unpleasant Companion” does not introduce anything previously unheard in music, it combines aspects of grunge, alternative and slightly experimental rock and possesses strong vocals. Altogether, these elements create a fun and pleasant listen for any fan of rock music. - The Daily Bruin

The AltSounds File-O-Facts feature on: Jon G. Dean. Want to know more about one of this incredible up and coming artist? Here you can find out loads of snappy facts about this superb new talent.

Name: Jon G. Dean. The “G” stands for Gangsta. Step back.
Star Sign: Libra.
Place of Birth: Youngstown, OH, home of Brier Hill pizza. We couldn’t afford the good cheese. Google it.
Now Based At: Boardman, OH. Haha, movin’ on up like The Jeffersons.
Level of Education: I have a senior status toward a biochemistry degree.

First Instrument Played: The cosmic beam.
Current Instrument: Guitar.
Last Venue Played: A place called Musica in Akron, OH.
Last Gig Attended: I saw a band called Mr. Gnome. They’re Clevelanders and very legit. They’re a two-piece and I believe they’re married. Apparently they have the whole be in a band and have a meaningful relationship with something other than truckstops thing figured out, so congrats to them both on that! They cross genres quite well and man can she sing and play guitar.

Can't Go On Tour Without: The van and trailer full of our equipment. Oh and my IPod, and a pillow.
The Best Thing About Live Music Is: The spontaneity, associated with any type of live performance.
The Person I Would Most To Collaboration Is: Jonny Greenwood is a beast. But as Bad Santa once told Thurman Murman, “wish in one hand…”
Worst Thing To Happen To Music Is: Compression, Lou Reed
Best Thing About The Current Music Industry: The DIY spirit the Internet has reinvigorated. The ability to find new music at the click of a button.

Turn On: Honesty.
Turn Off: Laziness. Overboard-elitist attitudes. Haters.
Biggest Influence: People doing things that inspire them on their own terms.
My Favourite Person On TV Right Now Is: What’s that guy’s name on the History Channel that chases the logs and alligators? Yeah, not him. But for reals I’ve been watching “Angry Boys”, which is the brainchild of Chris Lilley who did “Summer Heights High”. Plus it reminds me of how my nephew pronounces “Angry Birds” when he wants to play it.

Childhood Hero: Chuck Norris, and my parents for being great parents (in that order, sorry dad)
When I Was Younger I Wanted To Be: Man I don’t know, probably something impractical like an astronaut or a dinosaur like most little kids.
Last Album Bought: TV on the Radio “Nine Types of Light”
Last Song Listened To On MP3 Player: “Bleak Bake”



The Music I'm Into Is: I try to remain open-minded regarding art and culture. Anything that sounds or appears honest and genuinely created, even if not my thing or I don’t get it, is cool with me.
Favourite Current Band: Don’t really have a favourite so to speak. I’ve always liked Radiohead. I’ve been listening to a lot of 90’s stuff recently. I rocked some Swervedriver and Failure on my way home from Cleveland the other day.
My Favourite Drink Has To Be: Anything from Great Lakes Brewing is always good. And I like whiskey. A lot. Probably too much. Yes actually, too much.

My Favourite Book Is: “DMT: The Spirit Molecule” by Rick Strassman
My Favourite Website Is: I go on espn.com/boxing frequently. I’m into boxing, always have been. And YouTube silly head.
My Favourite Item Of Clothing Is: My blue pleather jacket. It’s made from pleather, leather’s bastard cousin.
My Favourite Shop Is: Not Guitar Center.
The Best Boredom Buster Is: Is boredom that thing that sets in when you’re not doing something?

The Best Film I Ever Saw Was: “Freddy Got Fingered”, the documentary of one man’s break into the entertainment business while living in his daddy’s basement.
My Ultimate Snack: I’m always down to smash on some hummus. Not really inherently ultimate in and of itself, so I guess hummus while hang gliding?
The Worst Food Invented Is: Deep-fried hotdog-flavoured chicken wing bacon pizza burger sandwiches with veal sauce. Whose empty wrappers from KFC ended up all over our studio’s parking lot when the construction workers dug up our street last spring.

The First Thing I Do When I Wake Up Is: Take a shower.
I Can't Leave The House Without: Clothes on.
I'm Well Known For: My beard. Brah.
My Hobbies Are: I like to read, run and swim in my spare time.
I Have A Passion For: Music and science.
First Band Name: Render

Tomorrow I Will: Do what I did today just like Bill Murray in Punxsutawney.
My Biggest Aspiration: To keep on keepin’ on, playing music, and living life to the fullest.
I Think AltSounds is: Very cool to take interest in the bands they do. Thanks for not being super-hipsters about what you cover. - AltSounds

If a bit of good-natured hipster razzing makes you laugh you’ll most likely enjoy Asleep’s new video for the band’s latest single “Hip to Deaf.”

The video, which premiered today, shows the Youngstown, Ohio rock quartet donning porkpie hats, oversized Wayfarers, unicycles and other hispter culture tropes. - Pop 'stache

Their sound, is rather indefinable. They say it is their long drives, good people, and real life experiences on which they draw from, and I believe it. At one moment the band has me tapping my foot in time to the beat, with tracks like “Drama Junkie” and “Deserted” the next I am more serenely taking it all in with “Delirium Tremens,” drifting in and out of poignant moments, and calming verses. - Infectious Magazine

Both probably looking forward to the weekend, Todd and I sat across the country from one another for a tennis match of Q&A’s. I was led to believe Todd wasn’t American when he couldn’t name a drink at Starbucks. Even a poor soul like me knows vanilla bean. Then things turned, well just weird…But in the best way possible when a 20 foot robot that paraded around with Asleep at SXSW last year was brought into the mix.
- Golden Mixtape

Over the past few years, Ohio-based Asleep has shared bills with The Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth and Kings of Leon. The quartet’s next studio album is set for a February 7 release. Asleep worked with Bill Korecky and Mike Watts on its previous two records and continues their stellar tradition by enlisting Steve Albini (Nirvana, Page and Plant, Iggy Pop and the Stooges) for this effort. One of the songs from Unpleasant Companion, “Deserted,” has just premiered on Relix.com where it is now streaming. - Relix

The group’s high-energy indie rock is well represented on their latest record, which captured the band’s raw live sound on two-inch analog tape, giving the listener a taste of their live sets. Unlike other records that have garnered similar praise, Asleep’s latest separates itself in its ability to remain sincere, not catering to trends or flash in the pan chicanery. - Buzzbin Magazine

Indie rockers Asleep will be releasing their new album, Unpleasant Companion (album art pictured at left) on February 7. We're excited to bring you the exclusive premiere of the album's opening track, "Hip to Deaf." You can stream the track in full below.

True to the rock and roll aesthetic, the band recorded Unpleasant Companion over the course of only four days, recording to 16-track, 2-inch analog tape.

Sessions for the album were overseen by engineer Steve Albini, whose track record includes work with Nirvana, Page and Plant, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, the Pixies and PJ Harvey. - GuitarWorld.com - Josh Hart

Rest assured, from the very first song, it’s apparent that Asleep has the musical goods as “Hip to Deaf” opens the album on a frenetically catchy note. The drums set a blazing tempo that one guitar matches before another one recklessly ups the ante even further. Reveling in the low-fi production, which provides the perfect amount of noise to counterbalance Kaden’s somewhat tender vocals, Asleep have crafted an album that is anything but an unpleasant companion. - The News Record, University of Cincinnati

They put a lot of effort into creating a "live" vibe for this album and it shows. Little things like the drummer counting off at the beginning of "Must've Been" help create the illusion that everything you're listening to is happening right in front of you. Recreating a live sound often leaves an album sounding like it was recorded in someone's garage. But in this case, they do a great job of making sure it doesn't sound amateur. - DigitalHippos.com

WIDE AWAKE: Youngstown indie rockers Asleep just wrapped recording on their new album with legendary noise architect and all-around pain in the ass Steve Albini. Unpleasant Companion, which will be released next month, was recorded at Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago (it's being mastered in Chicago too, but will be pressed in Cleveland). Since Albini has always had a problem with the "producer" label, he's given an "engineer" credit on the album, which means he basically pushed the "record" button as the band started playing. The music bears Albini's hallmarks of thick, distorted guitar and a full, live sound, best heard on the Pixies' Surfer Rosa and Nirvana's In Utero. It sounds right at home here. - Cleveland Scene Magazine

Youngstown's Asleep had a welcome companion as it recorded its new CD, ''Unpleasant Companion.''

The upcoming release was engineered by Steve Albini, who's worked with Nirvana and the Pixies, and was recorded earlier this month at Albini's Electrical Audio in Chicago.

Asleep guitar player Jon Dean said, ''We wanted to go record somewhere that represented what we sounded like. Our new release has very few overdubs and we wanted to record something raw. The main goal of the band on 'Unpleasant Companion' is to not hide behind our sound. There was no tracking on this record; Albini records everything on tape-to-tape analog format. Some parts of the record were shot live, while a few guitar leads were actually overdubbed.''

Drummer Nicholas Kloss, who previously played with The Zou and Lady Fantastic, was the one who pushed the idea to record with Albini.

''I wanted my drums to have that big, boomy, ambient sound,'' he said. ''I could not get any engineer / producer to record them that way. I always loved how the drum tracks on Steve Albini's records sounded. So I went on the Electrical Audio webpage and researched how much it would cost to record, and I found out that the cost was reasonable.''

Albini is an influential driving force of the American indie underground. He has fronted such acts as Rapeman, Big Black and Flour in the mid-'80s and Shellac since the early '90s. As an engineer, Albini has worked on such influential albums as Helmet's ''Meantime'' (1992), Nirvana's ''In Utero'' (1993), Pixies' ''Surfer Rosa'' (1988), Poster Children's ''Daisychain Reaction'' (1991), Pigface's ''Gub'' (1990), Union Carbide Productions' ''Swing'' (1992), Fugazi's ''In On The Kill Taker'' (1993), P.J. Harvey's ''Rid of Me'' (1993) and Stinking Lizaveta's ''Hopelessness and Shame'' (1996).

Albini sees Asleep as a band with full control of their musical art form and direction.

''The nice thing about Asleep is that they are accomplished musicians who have control of their instruments,'' Albini said. ''Asleep's music reminds me of the Chicago band Frontier, who had very noisy abstract soundscapes. They also have a very epic, dynamic sound that reminds me a lot of the Japanese post-rock band Mono. What makes Asleep like Mono is the fact that there is this occasional moment in their music that build up like wind. Asleep has a noisy sound, but there will be a melodic motif in their music that deteriorates into pure noise.''

Albini said that unlike particular noise bands, Asleep has a balanced musical focus that intertwines guitar atmospherics with soft vocals.

''Asleep's vocals have a sweet, delicate quality, that builds up into intensity, a lot like the New York post-rock band Grandfather, who I worked with recently. Bands like Asleep have a capability of playing music that they like and shoot at a musical target,'' Albini said.

Fans can hear some of the new music Saturday, when the band - Todd Kaden, vocals and guitar; Corey Snyder, bass; Dean, guitar and Kloss, drums - plays two shows at the Lemon Grove Cafe. The 1 p.m. concert is an all-ages show that also will feature Hold No Grudges, Well Played, Kid Detective and Born Adversity and will run until 6 p.m. The 18-and-older show later that night will feature Asleep along with The Modulated Tones, Modern Life, Purple Are Forward and Katianne Timko.

For Dean, ''Unpleasant Companion'' showcases both Albini's master analog work and Asleep's new transition.

''The songs on 'Unpleasant Companion' are a nice cohesive unit and are collectively pieced together,'' Dean said. ''The rawness of the recording is amazing. Our new record is a lot like PJ Harvey's 'Rid of Me' and Shellac's '1000 Hurts,' which are both albums produced by Albini. P.J. Harvey's 'Rid of Me' is my favorite Steve Albini record because it embodies a masculine and feminine quality. Albini helps artists capture themselves.''

Recording with Albini at Electrical Audio was a great way to help the band break out of its comfort zone, according to Dean, and the members of Asleep found themselves breaking away from the signature cookie cutter music trends of 2011.

"Breaking out of our comfort zone inspired us to produce more passionate songs,'' he said. ''We played live together as a band in the studio on 'Unpleasant Companion.' We did not record every instrument and part separately. We did do some patch up work and recording this album has been a four-day procedure.

'''Unpleasant Companion' is the closest to how we sound live on stage. This album is our reaction to the current state of technology today. Technology repulses me as a musician and it was nice to get away and to make an analog recording.''

Asleep was quite satisfied with Albini's professional approach with communicating with the band.

''He is an everyday guy who makes records,'' Dean said. ''Albini helped us to connect with our musical roots. It was the most relaxing environment making a record with Steve Albini. He is very professional and is not out there to take advantage of artists but to capture people's music. Recording 'Unpleasant Companion' gave me the opportunity to remember why I love making music. Albini was completely open to conversations about what is going on with the record. He is very educated and down with recording.''

The band plans to make ''Unpleasant Companion'' available as a free digital download beginning in June, with a vinyl pressing slated for later this year. - Warren Tribune

Meanwhile, legendary Public Image, Ltd. and Pigface drummer turned Chicago-based lecturer for hire and Tour:Smart author Martin Atkins hosted a lively chat called “Welcome to the Music Business—You’re F---ed,” complete with audience call-and-response for that same catchy phrase.

As implied the last time I profiled dear Martin, he is as much a hustler as a visionary, but that is part of his charm. He always is entertaining, and much of his common-sense, coarse-language advice to bands is undeniable. Among the choice nuggets from this talk:

“It’s not a problem if 20,000 people illegally download your music. It’s a problem if they don’t!”

“Free is the new black!”

“Don’t worry about new technology! It’s now how you’re communicating, it’s what you’re communicating!”

“If you know that you’re f---ed, then you’re not. If you think that you’re not, then you are!”

Boiled down to basics: Artists need to control the means of production to maximize profits; they need to not be afraid of giving stuff away because that will pay off down the road; they need to think about every aspect of the way in which they present themselves, and they need to think outside the box in order to get noticed—a la the group of Atkins acolytes in a band called Asleep who brought their 15-foot-tall “Punchy the Party Robot” to the talk along with a mountain of free CDs. - Jim DeRogatis-www.wbez.org

After all the speaking you’ve done and touring and meeting bands, what would be the one piece of advice you’d give?

Have more than one thing to sell. Because you have to give something away. And this is something else I’ll talk about (at the March 13 seminar) because it’s much more accepted now than it was two years ago or even one year ago. You have to give stuff to people and it doesn’t work if you just have this one big shiny album. If that’s the only thing you have, not an album from a live show, or a demo or an acoustic album, you’re screwed. But when you give someone a new album for free, they will buy your acoustic album or your other album. Everyone needs to understand that and get busy. The moment anyone in your band is complaining or not participating with positive energy, I’d put them on a probationary period. If one person out of five isn’t pulling their weight, you’re working on 4/5 or probably 2/5 of your energy level because that person’s energy level drags the good people down. It brings people down. You need everyone firing on all cylinders and exploring every possible option.

One of the bands actually that’s going to be involved in the event in Austin, Asleep, is a good example. You know, Tour:Smart is a few years old but we’re actually hearing more stories this year about bands using the strategies and taking them to another level, it’s so encouraging. Asleep is one of those bands. They were out there handing out flyers on the street at SXSW a year ago, and they saw all these other bands handing out flyers and they were like, we’re just like robots out here. And they took a Tour:Smart attitude.

You have to differentiate yourself, and once you’re out there doing it you can see what others are doing and do something different. So they built a 15-foot high robot with a PA system in it, flashing lights and a smoke machine. That robot sold more tee shirts the first time they wheeled it out than they ever had at a show. The robot became more of a star than the band! They were jealous of the robot! (Laughs.) But it was magnetizing people to come and see them. And it caused us to want to work with them. It’s an example of working hard and thinking and that’s the triumph of bands who do it. You can’t just be creative in the studio anymore. You have to build the robot, get the attention you need and make people say, wow. I love these guys and I love their creativity and I’m going to listen to some of their music. - Memphis Means Music

One local rock band has gone to new heights to promote its music to the masses. It's already caught the attention of Billboard magazine, a music industry guru, and a growing fan base all across the country.

ASLEEP has been part of the Valley music scene for nearly six years. Last year they made the long road-trip to Austin, Texas to play the South by Southwest Music Festival. Band members knew they needed to do something to differentiate themselves from all the other bands handing out stickers, CDs and t-shirts.

So, when they returned to Austin in March to play the festival again, they brought along Punchy. A fifteen foot functional robot with two moves: drink and punch!

"Drink and punch, that's just like the common man, you know? So that everybody can relate to it.", explains drummer, Nick Kloss. Guitarist, John Dean adds, "He just wants to fit in on planet Earth, he just wants to be like everybody else, so he did the first thing that he saw the most people do."

Besides drinking and punching, Punchy's main objective is promotion. Whether at a concert, convention center, or an impromptu dance party in the streets of Austin.

Kloss adds, "But the whole time that the people were dancing, scrolling over their heads was our facebook link, and our music."

"Yeah, and you're handing out CD's, a bunch of free stuff. The idea is to hopefully make people say, 'Wow these guys are a lot of fun, this is really creative, i'm going to give their music a shot.'", says Dean.

Punchy has put Asleep on the pages of Billboard magazine, and got the attention of Martin Atkins. He's the drummer and music industry legend who helped Trent Reznor get his start, and performed in the Nine Inch Nails music video, "Head Like a Hole."
Atkins' series of books are blueprints for bands looking to break-into the business. His next book, Band: Smart will feature Asleep and Punchy as a prime example of self-promotion.

"Like he says in his talks, it's not a problem if 20,000 people download your music, it's a problem if they don't. And another thing he says is free is the new black.", states Kloss. Dean adds, "However, if you'd like to hop onto our itunes and purchase some of our back catalog, that would be wonderful!"

Asleep is currently working on its next album with Atkins, and producer Steve Albini.
And they're sure to drink and punch their way from Youngstown to the big time.

You can check out Asleep and Punchy, playing a free show at the Lemon Grove in downtown Youngstown, May 14th. - www.wkbn.com

Asleep has had quite a spring.

Fresh from recording its third studio effort ,“Unpleasant Companion,” in Chicago with famed producer Steve Albini, the Youngstown rock act — Todd Kaden (guitar, vocals), Jon Dean (guitar), Cory Snyder (bass) and Nick Kloss (drums, loops and samples) — returns home with two special, live listening parties Saturday at the Lemon Grove.

“We are going to be playing the record from start to finish,” said Kloss, a Hermitage, Pa., native. “This album, we’re going a little bit more stripped down, a little bit more of a punk influence. It’s a little rawer in sound, like an indie vibe going on. A lot of the guitars in the past were really spacey, and now it’s a little bit more noise rock, really like Sonic Youth, Pixies-influenced stuff.”

Considering the band’s alternative-sound aspirations, heard on new tracks such as the upbeat “Hip To Deaf” and the grungy “Drama Junkie,” the quartet couldn’t have picked a better person to work with than Albini, the definitive punk producer who in the past has worked with the Pixies, Nirvana and Iggy Pop & the Stooges.

“Asleep really have themselves together,” Albini said. “They are a rock band with an experimental focus and know how to really play their instruments. This is unique from other bands with this aesthetic, as they generally perform noisy music and leave it to chance. If it comes out satisfactory for these bands, it’s primarily by chance. However, with Asleep, they are aware of the sounds they are creating and know how to manipulate and perform on their instruments to create the desired effect.”



Albini went on to say song structures heard on Asleep’s new CD remind him of Japanese instrumental band Mono, which he worked with in the past. As for Asleep’s new direction, Kloss said he believes the digression in style from its prog-rock-leaning 2006 debut, “All These Things We’ll Never Need,” and the 2009 follow-up, “Between Above and Below,” stem from the inclusion of new bassist Snyder, who also plays with stoner-rock act No. 1 Rodeo.

Though he’s unsure how exactly the band’s die-hard followers will react, Kloss is confident the group is moving in the right direction.

“Our response is not really to cater to one individual audience,” Kloss said. “We’ve always been open to doing lots of different things for lots of different people and meshing different sounds together. Even though this is a great departure from the first two records, it’ll still be something the old fans will like.

“We’re noticing gaining a new audience out of our new direction, as well. It’s definitely a huge leap. We’ve made three records, and pretty much all have been different. We kind of feel like that’s what bands should do, just kind of going in different directions and going for a completely different thing and experimenting, instead of pumping out the same record every time.” - The Vindicator