true swamp neglect - sleep function lost
second full length release from superglider.
by all accounts the band have gained a very healthy live reputation in their hometown of bournmouth, and from the songs on this interesting opening shot i can hear why.
sytle wise the band obviously have a passion for all areas of music, from the guitar homeliness of the wedding present through to the ambient soundscapes of the orb, via the sweet vocal harmonies of the beta band
admittedly sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't, but give me a band who experiment and try rather than stick to the predefined formula anyday.
the album opens with a grainy lo-fi field recording type of guitar track that to a casual listener induces fear of a post beer campfire recording session, but this is quickly pushed aside as the full glorious technocolur opens up, and we're into an excellent guitar/melody strum that builds up brilliantly for 4 minutes ..
the album really hits its stride from track 4 to track 8, with a series of songs that flow seemlessly together and are just perfect ..
"foam strut" with its crunchy guitar choards and ambient electronica through to a wonderful intro to the 'umbrella weather' .. there is only way to describe this .. the beta band. the interaction of dual vocal harmonies, the simple melody line which is repeated to a hypnotic effect, is completely entrancing .. a highlight. where the beta band can vere off and throw everything including the kitchen sink into the mix true swamp keep it relatively simple with a nice guitar line that is subtley distorted and drawn out .. a show stopper. this then leads into to 2 straight ahead band rockers, showing that the guys have obviously listened to a lot of decent college rock from the 90's, and decided to have a pop at the genre themselves. the highlight is 'the shield'. 5 minutes of wedding present guitars and shoegazing - absolutely sublime. this is followed by an ambient clicks/whirs and bleeps version of 'umbrella weather' which finishes off this excellent section ..
and now relax ..
the rest of the lp is not up to the same strength .. there is an attempt at a hip-hop break/rap towards the end of the 8 minute track 'the heavy music'. at first this part amuses, but eventually makes me hit the fast forward button, a brave and interesting experiment but something just doesn't click for me. especially as the opening section of the song is as good as 'the shield'.
the same goes for the album close, title track 'sleep ahead function' this is basically an ambient track with little to draw the listener in. on a purely selfish aspect the reason this doesn't work for me is due to the fact i want more of the "proper" songs, as the band have shown that they can probably chuck em out in their sleep there is so much talent/ideas here, so 5 minutes of nice noises/guitar ambience just makes me want more of the good stuff. dont get me wrong its perfect for those post party moments .. but i dont do those parties any more.
so - a band of many parts and ideas, when these come together gel rather nicely to form something rather special ..
neglect this at your peril ..