| Some people make songs about girls. Some people make songs about their lives. Jim Ward apparently can't
get enough of the left quarter of Texas. Sleepercar is Ward's latest side project since retiring from his
now defunct band At The Drive-In and starting to helm his new band, Sparta. I read that "West Texas" was
going to be brimming with Americana influenced rock songs which seems like something Jimmy would navigate
to after his post hardcore/indie roots. Either way, these five guys are here to make this something more
than just a side project and I'm here to listen.
Boy was the Americana detail an understatement. At first glance, you could almost set the first song to
some episodes of the wonder years. (obviously more upbeat then Joe Cockers "With a Little Help from My
Friends" but you get the idea.) Just a warning to some, this is filled to the top with pseudo
country/folk
tracks that sing along with twangy twilight guitars and indie spoken word sections. If you enjoy
acoustics then you will also be in for a treat when listening to "West Texas" because it seems to have an
abundance of them, and they chime together with the effects ridden guitars for some remarkable and
balanced listens.
Of course when I said "warnings" earlier, I mentioned it because I know that their are people out their
that have a hard time swallowing an alt-country/folk mixture and normally I would be with them but
Sleepercar seems to tight rope walk the line between passable and memorable enough to warrant mention.
Now you may ask yourself, "Hey Pernell, how dare you have the right to pass over a band because of their
genre?" Well I don't, I give it a fair listen and if I like it and I think people will like it, I give it
some sexy word of mouth. That is the way I feel about these guys. They were able to make an album that
plays with heart and also has a southern comfort vibe melting from it that should be heard.
So if you can get past the trouble some of you might have with folk infused with twangy americana then you
might be able to enjoy a hoedown of a good time. If you already enjoy this type of music, then this will
be something raw and beautiful to hear for the first time. Don't let this be a sleeper hit of 2008, check
it out.
~ Pernell
March 14 2008 |