Sleepeater

>Sleepeater
>
>
>
>Sleepeater have managed to put out an impressive debut. I'm assuming
>this self-titled record is their first. This CD came with no bio, which
>kind of makes for a more interesting listen to a degree. How many band
>members? I would say three guys with the guitarist singing lead and the
>bassist providing harmonies. The songs with keyboards have no guitar
>parts, so it's hard to imagine more than three band members. The guitar
>tone is very bluesy yet very distorted. The rhythm section tight. The
>musicians that comprise Sleepeater are pretty top notch. Amateurs these
>guys are not.
>
>
>
>The album's opener "Adonite" starts this off with promise and slides right
>into "Synergy" which has killer groove qualities and a noise/solo section
>not unlike Nels Cline's finer moments. It segues smoothly into the
>mellow jazzy sounds of "The Ghost Song Part 2" (possibly the best
>composition on this disc), which has gets loud when it needs to. When
>the keys take over on "2 Minutes Hate" it's hard not to compare them to
>Awesome New Republic. The vocal harmonies and keys are very similar to
>the former Miami now New York residing group. I doubt Sleepeater is
>even aware of ANR (who's "ANR So Far" CD made my top 10 of 2005), but
>the similarities are uncanny. The track's intro includes a phone
>conversation between a slowed down in pitch Darth Vader-like voice with
>a sped up chipmunk provocateur. The weird noises in the background make
>me think of pre SST era Negativeland. These guys have a reel-to-reel
>recorder that they like to play with. Analog is fun, what can we say.
>
>
>
>"The Antidote" is another great guitar driven pop song. The bridge in
>this one is totally killer! God I love this band! "Somnambulance 2" has
>some cool Rhodes-style keys put through the wah pedal and distortion.
>The bass gets funky in more of a Mike Watt vein. Near the end it almost
>sounds like Soft Machine circa 1969. "Corydoor" has the drums panned to
>one side, the bass on
>the other, and the guitar/vocals in the middle. The last third of the tune
>is an ambient synth wash. It slides right into "Well Enough Alone" which
>contains harmonized guitar parts, the bands most technical playing thus far
>and one or two synth washes creeping in and out of the mix (tying it to the
>previous song). The Rhodes piano returns for the ever-mellow ballad
>"Choke".
>It ends with same soloed high hat (speed panned from left to right, back
>and
>forth) that opened the first track. Neat.
>
>
>
>This band brings me back a little. Sleepeater remind me of the days
>when
>the
>term "indie" was about non-conformist bands who were actually on
>"independent" labels. It was in galaxy long ago and far away - before a
>bunch of conformist cardigan wearing trendoid dorks high jacked the meaning
>forever. The kind of people who think the music world began with unoriginal
>weak corporate crap like The Pixies and Stereolab (who should have called
>themselves Neu 2). Back in the day when there were the SST/Homestead/Twin
>Tone/You Name It groups who could actually play their instruments quite
>well
>like The Minutemen, Slovenly, Dinosaur, Firehose, Scratch Acid,
>Clockhammer,
>Agitpop, Nice Strong Arm, etc. Enough bitching. Sleepeater got a great CD
>and the Ralph Steadman-ish cover art makes the grade as well.
>
>
>
>4 Stars
- Peacedogman.com

Artist: Sleepeater

CD: Self-Titled

Home: Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Style: Indie Rock

Quote: "The guitars are full, and the musicians are not afraid to show us what they can come up with and put together."

By Stephanie Joudrey

With independent rockers like Canada’s The Arcade Fire gaining international publicity, I think many bands that previously would have been ignored are getting a second look. That said, I am not comparing Sleepeater’s self-titled album to anything by The Arcade Fire, but they have the same indie feel that is garnering attention from some big names in rock.

Sleepeater’s album is a raw, indie trip. Musically it can become a very complex disc, like during the bouncy “Synergy.” The guitars are full and the musicians are not afraid to show us what they can come up with and put together. It’s not a safe disc, which is one of its best qualities.

Vocally these fellows are no American Idols, but they use what they have. Singer The Light moves from a whisper to a loud whine all in the matter of a few minutes, taking the listener on a ride with his voice. For someone who doesn't sound professionally trained (I apologize 100 times if he is) I am amazed at what he can do with his voice. He does deep and heavy and sharp like it comes naturally.

I am very confused as to what they were getting at with the cell phones rings and alien voices on track three “The Ghost Song, Pt. 1,” the way they tied it into “2 Minute Hate” showed just how creative these musicians are and what they are capable of.

Don’t be disappointed that there are only nine tracks on this album either, because this is a very long disc. I’m not sure they could have fit anymore into it. The best part about the length of these tracks is that they don’t feel long. Many of them shift pace and tempo a number of time throughout. It makes you feel like you’ve listened to a 16-track disc.

I think it’s only a matter of time for Sleepeater. This disc is overflowing with potential and if they are in the right place at the right time maybe Bono will be praising their work too.

http://www.myspace.com/sleepeater - Indie-Music.com

Sleepeater
Sleeping and eating through all the town
By Keenan Retterath
When you hear of a band that is named Sleepeater, the first thing to come to my mind is that they are a hardcore, death metal band. This is not the case. Sleepeater is a band in Sioux Falls that has been around the area for a while, about five years. Their sound may have changed over the years but the band members have all remained the same. Their sound just depends on their mood at the moment.

What about the name Sleepeater? There is a relatively funny story behind the name. After playing a show up in Minneapolis, they went and stayed at a friend’s house. During the middle of the night, Danny, who is an apparent sleep eater, walked to the kitchen and ate a freshly baked tray of cookies. When their friends woke up in the morning to go to work, all the cookies were gone. Let the hilarity ensue.

A sleep eater is relatively the same thing as a sleep walker. The only difference is that you walk around in your sleep and eat things and then go back to bed and not remember a thing. Don’t worry kids; Danny is getting help in S.E.A. (Sleep eaters anonymous).

As far as their sound is concerned, it is staying the same but is also changing. It is weird, but yet interesting. The music they write and create themselves depends on the mood they are in. Now these are not people who are mad at their dads. The three piece consisting of Dustin, Danny, and Zach are far from mad. They are more of a spiritual band. Yet the music is nothing that is meant to be for God or towards him. The tunes are more spiritual in a sense that their influences are everyday things. Things that a lot of people take for granted and don’t really take the time to notice them. Like life itself, energy and hearts.

Sleepeater is not like traditional bands when they do a set. They make sure that their sets primarily never stay the same. If a member of the audience connects with the music that they are playing, that is a great thing.

Sleepeater has a sound that is unlike anything that has really been heard around the area, to an extent. They have different scales and riffs that give them a more unique sound. They tend not to go into the same hooks and lines that most of today’s mainstream bands have.

Sleepeater sounds, in my own personal opinion, like a huge part of Modest Mouse with a little smidge of System of a Down for the hard rock parts. Within listening to the first parts of their CD, which is self-titled, you feel like you yourself are going through different phases and you can feel the album itself growing. Almost as if it matures into its own piece of art. That is cool because the band would rather be called artists than musicians.

The album is fast paced and is always going with no breaks in between tracks. With this concept in place you feel as though you can mentally see a canvas being painted on stage, even when you are sitting in your car and listening to the CD itself. It has a weird, almost psychedelic sound to it.

Sleepeater is a band that consists of your standard three piece band. There is a guitar, bass and Drums, but then you throw a keyboard and cymbals into the mix and you have something almost as good as Grandma’s home made Special K bars. This is a good recipe for a unique sound. The lyrics on the disc are also witty and great to listen to. They flow together with the music that it is very magical.

Now the album itself is only nine tracks, but by any means does not mean it is short. After listening to it for about 30 minutes, you realize that you are only on track five. Personally, I don’t know if you could have fit more tracks on the CD without it being past full capacity.

If you are the slightest bit intrigued by Sleepeater, then you are in luck. They will be playing at Phil’s Pub on the June 3rd. Go and check them out. They will be well worth the trip.
- Sioux Falls City Weekly