Monday, April 23, 2012

Wave Sleep Wave Drift Off


Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover or at least its name. Wave Sleep Wave could not be a better band name for this group of New Yorkers who feature one member of The Blam and Flugente. “Who?” you’re saying and honestly I don’t know either but it sounds cool doesn’t it? Anyway, living somewhere being perpetually catatonic and lost in a dream, Wave Sleep Wave's debut album is like the happy middle ground between Sonic Youth's sleepier material and the entire genre of post rock.

Wave Sleep Wave is a noisy, lackadaisical trip through the haze where guitars have twice as many effects pedals than strings, drums sound like broken hammers, and vocals waft in and out of consciousness. It's all very murky, hazy, and slightly weird here and my guess is that's just the way Wave Sleep Wave likes it. Songs don't necessarily stick with you as much as they dwell in the same space with you. In other words, this thing is so atmospheric, swirly, and flipped out that there's very little time for verse chorus verse song structures that are memorable. Wave Sleep Wave, instead, just kind of envelopes you with it's wall of sound and captures you as a result. It's all very good, just a bit more atmospheric than upbeat.

Wave Sleep Wave is the soundtrack to the feeling of getting up on Sunday morning after a long night. This is a slightly exhausted, gloomy, worn out kind of thing that despite what that might imply is actually quite good. Wave Sleep Wave has done a good job of conveying emotions and creating a sense of something throughout. The record's ambience, downtempo vibe, and slightly gloomy sound might not make it the feel good hit of the spring, but it does make it a great listen. Now, if I can just pull the covers over my head and drift back to sleep that would be awesome.

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