Britpop spawned a number of guitar bands with female
vocalists and anonymous musicians – Echobelly, Salad, Elastica – and Sleeper
were amongst the forerunners. And I guess that has a satisfying sense of irony
about it because the band chose the name Sleeper to acknowledge the fact that
the blokes in the band would receive little recognition or credit, and I’m not
about to challenge that here. If you have not guessed Louise Wener was just
about the sexiest thing in the world in my early to mid-thirty’s...Fuckin’ Gorgeous,
and whilst I scoff at having this as a reason to enjoy this album / band it is
not completely irrelevant in this context as it is Weners' voice and overall
sex appeal in her delivery that saves many of the albums mediocre offerings
from being throwaway...Just listen to “Hunch” and tell me if I am wrong?
Louise did not have the greatest voice in the world, I caught them live in Edinburgh and it was even more evident then. What she did have was the cute indie chick vibe in abundance and penchant for writing awesome 3 minute catchy guitar pop with her bandmates. "Inbetweener" is an intoxicating single. Fuzz guitars, light harmonies, singsong melodies and hooks keep piling up until the whole thing collapses in a heap after three minutes. There's a Blur-like quality to the observational lyrics but an Oasis-esque ear for melody and fantastic choruses. Of course, none of it is terribly original, but which Britpop band was? The genre's best bands lived and died by the quality of their songs, and Smart features 12 catchy, tightly written rock songs and 2 outright forgotten classics in "Swallow" and "Inbetweener".
An underrated entry into the 90s Britpop canon, this album stands alongside Parkllife and Definitely Maybe as a high watermark of the genre. Eschewing the punky, riot grrrl aesthetic of an Elastica or Breeders, Sleeper opts for a more melodic power pop sound with sweet, but punchy, female vocals from Louise Wener. It's not the most interesting of Britpop albums, but it is certainly one of the most enjoyable. It comes highly recommended for rock music fans.
Louise did not have the greatest voice in the world, I caught them live in Edinburgh and it was even more evident then. What she did have was the cute indie chick vibe in abundance and penchant for writing awesome 3 minute catchy guitar pop with her bandmates. "Inbetweener" is an intoxicating single. Fuzz guitars, light harmonies, singsong melodies and hooks keep piling up until the whole thing collapses in a heap after three minutes. There's a Blur-like quality to the observational lyrics but an Oasis-esque ear for melody and fantastic choruses. Of course, none of it is terribly original, but which Britpop band was? The genre's best bands lived and died by the quality of their songs, and Smart features 12 catchy, tightly written rock songs and 2 outright forgotten classics in "Swallow" and "Inbetweener".
An underrated entry into the 90s Britpop canon, this album stands alongside Parkllife and Definitely Maybe as a high watermark of the genre. Eschewing the punky, riot grrrl aesthetic of an Elastica or Breeders, Sleeper opts for a more melodic power pop sound with sweet, but punchy, female vocals from Louise Wener. It's not the most interesting of Britpop albums, but it is certainly one of the most enjoyable. It comes highly recommended for rock music fans.
Ripped to MP3
1. Inbetweener 3:18
2. Swallow 2:41
3. Delicious 3:01
4. Hunch 3:38
5. Amuse 2:09
6. Bedhead 3:00
7. Lady Love Your Countryside 2:39
8. Vegas 3:15
9. Poor Flying Man 4:01
10. Alice In Vain 3:35
11. Twisted 3:01
12. Pyrotechnician 3:26
1. Inbetweener 3:18
2. Swallow 2:41
3. Delicious 3:01
4. Hunch 3:38
5. Amuse 2:09
6. Bedhead 3:00
7. Lady Love Your Countryside 2:39
8. Vegas 3:15
9. Poor Flying Man 4:01
10. Alice In Vain 3:35
11. Twisted 3:01
12. Pyrotechnician 3:26
You are absolutely right about everything here. Lovely band, even more lovely Louise!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely Franchico...
Delete