 Zelienople
"Sleeper Coach" CD
Loose
Thread
Genres: shoegazer, slowcore, bliss
Loose Thread
PO Box 220180
Chicago IL 60622
Feb 28 - Mar 6 2005 |
Slowcore is a tricky genre. It has a relaxing feel to it, but
sometimes there's a distinct tension buried within that keeps you from
feeling totally at ease. Such is the case with Zelienople,
whose mysterious and oddly experimental Sleeper Coach takes a
step further out of the boundaries of pop music.
Using waves upon waves of feedback, the band has created a
powerful, moody album that can both enthrall you and put you to sleep,
depending on your mood. Like a lot of shoegazer and slowcore,
the vocals are used very sparingly; as such, much of this music is
centred around layers of drone and whimsical sound textures. The
melodies are buried in a mush of extraneous sound; their covertness
means they reveal themselves with time and patience. Vibraphone
is used in excess here, which gives the music a strangely churchy
atmosphere; instrumental "Alleyville" exemplifies this with
its dark, almost funereal feel. The noir-esque "Don't Be
Lonely" could be my favourite instrumental, but the three songs
with singing - "Dr Brilliant" "Ship That Goes Down," and
"Fortune" are of particular interest here. They are
mysterious and sensitive, with a dark sense of drama and mood.
For shoegazers, this is nothing new - but the songs' dark moodiness is
enough to keep most genre-faithfuls listening.
Sleeper Coach is the perfect soundtrack for a midnight trip
to a desolate bus stop. Though not for everyone, this
atmospheric voyage will shine if given the time to prove itself.
86%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
10 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |
