Sleeping People – Notruf

Sleeping People started in the early thousands. I guess their initial claim to fame was that they had ex members of the instrumental math rock band Rumah Sakit. They also once had a member of The Dirty Projectors on gutiar. Anyhow, they seemingly disappeared after the release of their last full length “Growing” in 2007. I personally wasn’t sure what happened to them. As most of you could tell from my blog, and if you’ve ever spoke to me in real life, I enjoy math rock. At least some certain facets of the genre. I personally have become bored with the recent fad or whatever you call it that was essentially spurred on by Tera Melos and bands of that ilk. Its like kids who were into math rock listened to them and Maps & Atlases(Trees, Sparrows, Houses era anyway) and started bands emulating that style of Math Rock. You know what I mean. Extremely spazzy drums and guitarists tapping so much that something often gets lost in the translation. Not taking away from those 2 bands. I love early Tera Melos and Maps & Atlases. But I always appreciated the style as done by the likes of Don Caballero, Lynx, and Sleeping People. Sleeping People, more so than the other 2 aforementioned bands, seemed to really try their hardest to blend Math Rock and one of that genre’s predecessors Progressive Rock. Riffing that was clearly influenced by King Crimson. Not only that, but they themselves making reference in a song title (Fripp For Girls) to their love and influence from that band. Over the years they have released some really great music. Even through changes in member personal. Which can often really mess up a band. So after “Growing” and years of nothing, here comes “Notruf.” If there was ever proof that Sleeping People had prog influence and tendencies, this album is it. The album is only 2 songs. But they are awesome. Truth is, I've been listening to this album nonstop this past week and went out and bought the vinyl today. I’m glad they didn’t break up. And I really hope that they put out more albums. I think everything they have put out is spectacular. And I’m glad bands like this still exist in a math rock world that has definitely changed since their birth.

Download The Album Here
Please buy it if you like it!

Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime

I've been listening to this album ALOT lately.

Its funny how you can hear about a band over and over again, and never check them out. I have no real reason why it took me so long to listen to Drive Like Jehu. Their name would constantly pop up in my “music quests.” They were compared to lots and lots of bands that I like. And for some reason, it was only last year that I heard them. YES, LET THE CRUCIFIXION COME! Haha.

The band only released two albums. “Yank Crime” was their second. I think a lot of people, myself included, view this as the better album. Which is strange because it was a major label release. And as a lot of people know, often times when a indie band gets signed to a major, they change. And usually not for the better. Somehow, this album is even more aggressive than their first album. Taking all things into consideration, this is quite a feat. Their intense energy is constant through the entire album. Whether it be in the slower song “Luau” or the album’s opening track “Here Come The Rome Plows”. Rick Froberg & John Reis’s guitar interplay set a new standard for the post hardcore genre. Its right up there with Guy and Ian of Fugazi if you ask me. “Do You Compute?” might be one of the best examples of this on the Yank Crime album. Its not hard to see why Drive Like Jehu are/were cited at a big influence on the then emerging “emo” scene. There are a lot of elements from the music on this album that reappear in later “emo” releases, as well as post hardcore albums. Its great that such a short lived band could have such wide spread influence. Its just a bummer that they were so short lived in the first place.

Download The Album Here

Please buy it if you like it!