Staff Reviews

Sleep Whale - Houseboat

Review by Michael Wheeler

It’s an album that only fully exists in the details, but as they are slowly revealed, it’s often breathtaking in its mixture of wide eyed ebullience and tentative whisper.»

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since 2006 sleep whale (formerly known as mom) have become a mainstay of the fruitful north texas music scene. with their first full-lenth release houseboat the band solidifies their position as creative leaders and innovators amongst their peers. much like their first ep little brite, the album pairs joel north's deft guitar work and fluid cello playing with bruce blay's impeccable ability to weave percussion, field recordings, guitar, bass, and violin into hypnotic and whimsical dreamscapes. however, unlike little brite, houseboat's songs show how the band has grown, offering more sonically complex and ambitious compositions. equally informed by pioneers like steve reich, brian eno, can, and neu!, the band's sound has grown into a joyful soundtrack for a midnight drive down the freeway with your windows down. their songs uniquely straddle the line between experimental ambience and accessible psych-folk-pop, all the while leading you through shimmering labyrinths of sound, color, and texture. the album begins with the toe-tapping 'green echo' setting the tone for the optimistic and uplifting song cycle that unfolds. although tracks like 'roof sailing' and 'sleep reprise' veer into the epic cinematic sphere with their soaring strings and driving percussion, sleep whale manage to use just enough restraint to avoid the formulaic post-rock pitfalls. revealing a new facet of their songwriting ability, the album includes several pop songs like 'we were dripping' and 'make another picture' both gushing with boyish charm and fanciful imagery.
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