Sleep ∞ Over's Casual Diamond, and Boy Friend's EP

As an earlier blog post shows, I'm a big fan of the three-piece dreamy musical group Sleep ∞ Over. Having only an EP, a single, and a place on a compilation, they crafted some of my favorite dream pop tunes of 2010. I recently heard some good and bad news dealing with group. Let me start with the downer: two of the gals in the band, Christa Palazzolo and Sarah Brown, left the group. BUT... there a couple of good things because of this: The remaining member, Stefanie Franciotti, will still carry the name, released a single recently, and is planning on an album release later this year. Also, Palazzolo and Brown have already formed a new group called Boy Friend and released a self-titled EP.

So, how do the new releases stack up with Sleep ∞ Over's previous work? I'll start with the new Sleep ∞ Over single titled Casual Diamond. It opens with a familiar crunch of the drum machine, and the nearly monolithic picks of an electric guitar.The track does end up dissolving into lighter guitar tones and Franciotti's soothing vocal hook.  This isn't exactly the dream pop beauty found on the Outer Limits single; the murky, uneasiness found on the group's older tracks has been revived. Yet, there is more energy here previously missing from older tracks, and the song resonates with a certain urgency instead of a droning whirling synth soundscape. The sound is still lo-fi as ever... it's Franciotti's voice and her choice in the overall instrumental texture that bring quite a different take on the Sleep ∞ Over sound. It's a promising track, and I am looking forward to seeing what she can do on a full-length release later this year.

I was quite excited to hear the sound of Boy Friend's self-titled EP. To my delight, the sound is straight from the Outer Limits single: warm synths, heavenly vocals, a nice cushioned, slightly melancholic, atmosphere. The only contrast I feel worth mentioning is the frail drum sound; while I prefer the thick drum beats in the forefront on the Outer Limits single, the drop in prominence only brings more attention to the other angelic layers of sound. The EP is only four tracks, and like any dream pop release, you basically know what you are gonna get by the end of the first song. Not the most perplexing or challenging music, but it does have a consistent sound. I'm looking forward to their full-length, too.

2011 in music is just looking more and more awesome as I consider all the releases on their way. That, and the few surprises that will hopefully be surfacing over the following months. I'm interested to see where these upcoming Sleep ∞ Over and Boy Friend albums will rank on my year-end favorites. For those interested, here's Casual Diamond and D'Arrest (first track on Boy Friend's EP):

Just Like a Dream: a Just Like Heaven Song Review

You know what I can appreciate in music? When a song takes you by the throat and demands you listen. That's right, I like to be at the complete mercy of a musical tune. These are the kind of songs that aren't going to fade into the background before someone makes a comment. It may even halt a few conversations as the listeners' attention have submitted to the sound. The song doesn't necessarily have to be drenched in self-importance or really any seriousness for that matter; it can be a simple ode to love and love lost.

The Cure were no strangers to such subjects, especially by the mid-80's with their single Just Like Heaven, a track cut from their '87 double album Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. Robert Smith definitely knew how to write a pop song (even if it wasn't always his creative intention). With this talent, Smith crafted one of his best upbeat love songs on Just Live Heaven.

The song starts with an optimistic drum beat and simple bass groove, and goes directly into an instrumental build: big, thick strums of an acoustic guitar are introduced, then bright, heavenly synth chords, followed by jangly electric guitar, and finally, pop ecstasy with Robert Smith's bright, emotional vocals. The vocals
carry the emotion of the song throughout its three and a half minutes, but the instrumental sound and flourishes just perfect the mood and back the vocals completely. I especially love the bouncy piano, playing not chords but simple notes, that comes in during the second verse. Like any good love song, it's meaning is fragile and ambiguous; it has just enough uncertainty in the lyrics and minor chords to show love can stand joyfully beside sorrow.

If you're hooked by the beginning, I guarantee you will be wanting more by the end. And that's the beauty of it.. the song ends rather abrubtly, as if to say, "yeah, I could of gone for a few more bars, maybe even throw in a few more chorus repeats, but I'm not gonna!". Pretty clever for an attention-demanding love song, eh? I could go on and analyze every wonderful thing this song has to offer, but I'll let the track speak for itself. Here's the link, hope you folks enjoy it.

Sleep ∞ Over's Glorious B-Side

So it's February 2011 and this glo-fi chillwave vhs-core trend is still maintaning some consitency in my audio adventures. The staples of the genre are quick to realize: muddled drones, dreamy melodies, mashed up din, DANCE. MUSIC. It's the sound of pleasurable, lazy nostalgia with a whole new meaning.  I recently salvaged a little band called Sleep ∞ Over, which falls in the glo-fi genre tree. Three indie ladies with their myspace and their features on compilations  and their sevin inch single, Outer Limits. No album yet, but that 7'' is a killer. The song chosen for each side is obvious, as A-side Outer Limits just has a perfect lo-fi Cocteau Mac groove going for it. Or if you prefer, an all female new wave group's basement tapes. But... the b-side.. the song La Rose.. is where the real magic is at. Check it out:

What a tune.. so many glorious marks in this dream pop tune, that it easily earned itself to be the soundtrack to my night time bike rides these past few weeks. The way the  intertwining vocals swirl in and out, that meaty drum beat, that simple guitar break after the first chorus... and how the song just picks itself right back up again. It's hazy, yet emotive and meaningful, as it guides you through lonely dark city streets (probably in midsummer). It's the song that just exemplifies the emotion I can extract from music, and gives me a little hope in finding that hidden audio gem while digging through all these hip indie genres.