A Closer Listen
Four years have passed without a new album from sleepmakeswaves, and from the sound of the new set, it seems that the Sydney post-rockers had a lot of pent-up energy to release. This is the best possible news for long time fans. The press release accurately calls it “a majestic return to the classic hallmarks of the band’s melodic post-rock sound.” The strings, which vanished on 2017’s Made of Breath Only, have returned. The vocals, which appeared on 2020’s these are not your dreams, have been excised. (We still feel guilty about expressing our instrumental preference back then, but as it turns out, we weren’t alone.). The album rocks so hard and consistently that it only has room for one sedate track. It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It is here, and ironically, that’s the name. Gorgeous multicolored vinyl options seal the deal.
A pair of moments in the first minute of “All Hail Skull” serve as declarative statements. After a brief, fuzzed-out intro, the drums build, stop, and then erupt at a higher volume, accompanied by searing guitars; then those searing guitars turn into melodic mosh pit guitars. It’s as if the band is saying, “Don’t believe us? Give us sixty seconds to show you how hard we rock.” The concluding half-speed segment is divine. This will be the first impression for those playing the album straight through, but “Super Realm Park” was the eagerly-awaited first single, inspired by Nintendo 64’s F-Zero. The combination of post-rock and electronics is appealing, hearkening back to 65dos, while the dynamic contrast in the center comes as a welcome surprise. This was the perfect choice to reintroduce the band, demonstrating their multiple strengths.
In the first half of the set, the energy only flags long enough for a festival goer to take a swig from a water bottle before plunging back in. Then in “Black Paradise,” the guitars retreat like waves from the shore, revealing the strings left in their wake, like sea glass left by the receding tide. “Verdigris” showcases synth and piano, matching the verdigris vinyl. (As an aside, Ben Chatwin just released an album of the same name; could verdigris be the color of the season?)
Even before spinning the LP, fans are looking at the eight and a half minute title track. While a long track with a long title is not required of post-rock bands, it’s what makes fans salivate. Slow and thoughtful, the piece passes through multiple phases, adding layers of guitar before breaking into a segment of light vocals (okay, the band hasn’t completely abandoned them, and they work really well here), then building to a rousing finale with shimmer, strings and drums. The final acoustic minute is one of the finest passages that sleepmakeswaves has ever produced.
The band might not know what to call it, but it’s here, and we do have names for it: a return to form, a crowd pleaser, a triumph. (Richard Allen)
Wed Apr 03 00:01:47 GMT 2024