Jump to content

Sleep - "Dopesmoker", Deluxe Reissue


Recommended Posts

Am I the only one that's not excited by the prospect of new Sleep material? I've seen them live three times since the 2009 reunion and the first one was incredble - the others were decidedly lacklustre. I know you can't predict new material based off a live performance but I'm just a bit worried it'll be way under par.

 

 

A few bad performances (also, bad by what standard?) will likely have absolutely nothing to do with what the chemistry could be like in the studio for brand new material. Maybe it was the fact that they kept playing the same old songs which caused them to have a sort of lackadaisical attitude on stage those times. Every band has a few bad nights. Maybe new material is just what they need to reinvigorate their live show. I'm hoping hard for something awesome and it would be great to have a studio recording of "Sonic Titan" on the new album if there will be one.

 

EDIT: I also hope the lyrical content on the new album is more OM than previous Sleep records. I love the music but the constant bud worship lyrics feel a little inane after a while. Though at least they managed to take that idea and wax Sci-Fi and ancient cult story-lines into it which makes for a bit more entertainment despite the monotonous subject matter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think a new album would have the standard reunion stigma, where people will expect their most toted release part two (so Dopesmoker Redux). That's a hard expectation to meet. These guys are great musicians, so if they put out a new album I can't imagine it being bad by any means. I just wouldn't put them in the expectation of an instant new classic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

(also, bad by what standard?) 

 

Just kind of sloppy. This is in comparison to their first couple of times i saw them on the reunion runs in 2009, which was fucking absolutely killer. Super tight, incredible sound, excellent stage chemistry (which goes a long way for this kind of music imo) The couple of times I saw them after that was very very loose, and not in a good stoner jam kind of way. Could just have easily been a bad night or two like you said but I was shocked at how bad, comparatively, it was. Although didn't Matt Pike go into rehab or something for alcoholism fairly recently? Could have been part of it. 

 

I could say the same for Om actually - have seen some totally incredible shows of theirs, but the last I saw them a year or so back was very very sloppy, very dull etc. Al didn't seem like he was bothered at all. Still, I'm hoping any new Sleep album will be great, I think I'm just keeping my expectations really low at the moment. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reunion albums tend to be much more miss then hit. But there's Swan and Earth, who reinvented themselves and came out of the limbo with music that was equal or even better than the one they did during their glorious days. Especially Earth, who took a whole different approach and kinda crafted a sound of their own that hooked their habitual listeners from a 180° perspective, still sounding somewhat evil and full of decay.

 

Still, Sleep would have to deal with the legacy of Dopesmoker which, as we can see, is nothing but influential. But Al is a respectable musician, he's one of those from who you could expect something greater than a Soundgarden or Pixies trick,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sleep feels like the kind of band that wouldn't try to recapture some sort of success by watering themselves down or limiting themselves simply because their albums became significantly bigger cult hits well after they were released. I think if they just go in and do what's natural (which I think they would) their output will at least be honest and thereby at least have the quality of any other offering they've put out. Whether we like the direction or particular sounds is secondary. I have faith they will do something great again because they would just be themselves and let it come to them. Of course there would naturally be some honing of the raw jams but I don't see them becoming overproduced or significantly over-thought which tends to be what traps and hurts other reunion records.

 

That's all just speculation on my part based purely on intuition and more than likely heavily colored by a good dose wishful thinking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reunion albums tend to be much more miss then hit. But there's Swan and Earth, who reinvented themselves and came out of the limbo with music that was equal or even better than the one they did during their glorious days. Especially Earth, who took a whole different approach and kinda crafted a sound of their own that hooked their habitual listeners from a 180° perspective, still sounding somewhat evil and full of decay.

 

Yeah, that's true. Would be great if the Sleep guys totally blew everyone away with a completely different approach. We'll see - I'd definitely be interested to hear any new material. I think I'm also apprehensive because there is a lot of very sub-par stoner/doom/sludge stuff around at the moment. Regardless of their status of kings of the genre, it's not unthinkable that a pretty run of the mill stoner doom record is a possibility. Anyway, I'm being too negative I guess. Here's hoping it's a killer!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would be great if the Sleep guys totally blew everyone away with a completely different approach. 

 

On the other hand, My Bloody Valentine was able to pull a master move with m b v, coming to terms with the legacy of Loveless. Kevin Shields made it happen by surrounding his new album around his masterpiece at the same time he was pushing the boundaries of what people would expect from the record. It's a great example of how a band doesn't depend on an exact momentum to write awesome music. m b v IMHO has the merits of sounding necessary to their discography at the same time it sounds exactly as the record they would have done if the band hasn't wrapped up in that long hiatus. So there's hope.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sleep feels like the kind of band that wouldn't try to recapture some sort of success by watering themselves down or limiting themselves simply because their albums became significantly bigger cult hits well after they were released. I think if they just go in and do what's natural (which I think they would) their output will at least be honest and thereby at least have the quality of any other offering they've put out. Whether we like the direction or particular sounds is secondary. I have faith they will do something great again because they would just be themselves and let it come to them. Of course there would naturally be some honing of the raw jams but I don't see them becoming overproduced or significantly over-thought which tends to be what traps and hurts other reunion records.

 

That's all just speculation on my part based purely on intuition and more than likely heavily colored by a good dose wishful thinking.

 

Spot on. Exactly how I feel. Couldn't have articulated it that well.

 

One thing you can be sure of with Sleep is that all the dudes are basically connoiseurs of tone and actually know how they want it to sound like. I find that to be highly doubtful that they would release a record as overproduced and compressed as Sabbath's 13 is...tone wise it was really a let down. I mean, it's still Sabbath and I'd much rather prefer another album by them to exist than not but damn does the sound at times give off like a overtight digital-age package vibe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Mark your calendars. July 21st will be unveiled a new Sleep track.

 

Let me quote Sleep

 

 

A new Sleep track will be available July 21st as part of the Adult Swim Singles Program for 2014.

New, as in new.

 

We can only hope that they follow the standard they set themselves and it turns out to be an hour long jam :rolleyes:

 

 

Also, could anyone confirm that they are indeed going to be on Head of Crom as of now or was this said tongue-in-cheek? This is from the head of Head of Croms (see what I did there?) Adam Stone's interview with Sludgelord.

 

Success could be measured in terms of sales, or in terms of creative excellence. Both is probably best. The stuff on Crom that sells slowly is still as good as the stuff that sells fast though. One pays for the other though. Too many slow-burners could mean the death-knell of any label. That’s why I’ve just signed Sleep for a three album deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That’s why I’ve just signed Sleep for a three album deal.

 

 

As much as seeing new Sleep stuff is sweet, and I'm legitimately excited for it!...I hope this means that Holy Mountain might get a reissue soon too. Probably not though.

 

 

A new Sleep track will be available July 21st as part of the Adult Swim Singles Program for 2014.

New, as in new.

Also...Fucking Adult Swim. It seems like I should just buy a Holy Mountain pressing right now (if I can find one) so it doesn't skyrocket in price when a bunch of new people get into them.

The whole Adult Swim thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth because they did the same shit with Mastodon, and that album, The Hunter, (in my opinion) blew.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

So I am still a bit confused how the adult swim singles have been working. Are they playing the songs in their entirety? So far, it seems like they are playing snippets? Maybe I am catching it at the wrong times. I am going to just record the entire adult swim segment for the Sleep track. I worship Sleep and dont want to miss it! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×

AdBlock Detected

spacer.png

We noticed that you're using an adBlocker

Yes, I'll whitelist