Sometimes in life, by
chance you stumble upon something really great. One day on
Bandcamp.com, I was browsing through albums by genre, probably the
difficult to define genre of “alternative,” when I stumbled upon
this record. I think I was caught by its beautiful cover art. I
clicked and then I listened and I knew that this was quality work and
from that moment on I was a Hope & Social fan. I was actually
planning on reviewing this months ago, but then I moved and forgot
about it for a time. But I have now remembered and I wish to share
my enthusiasm for this record for anyone who is willing to read.
Sleep Sound is
their third full length album and probably their most fully realized.
It's a diverse, but very consistent collection of songs. Their music
is a clever blend of a few genres, merging gospel, ska, folk, and
rock'n'roll. It all comes together so naturally that it feels like a
style of their very own. I honestly can't think of a band with a sound similar to them. Though, as far as ambition and quality of work goes, I
could see them fitting nicely in with Canada's own Arts & Crafts
record label. Though Hope & Social are actually from Leeds,
England, showing that there is a promising independent music scene on
the other side of the Atlantic also.
Every song has a bit of
a different personality, some are fun and win you over with their
upbeat charm. Others feel much more personal and restrained. Though,
what works is that every song comes across as very genuine. They're
clearly labours of love and mean a lot to the Hope & Social.
It's just old fashioned good, honest song writing and that's
something that makes it easy to connect to. Their music emotes very
strongly, but not in a typical way. A lot of the time when we think
of emotional music, we associate it with sadness, but this album
covers a greater range than that. We hear moments that are joyful,
sombre, passionate, and contemplative. No songs drain me though.
Even through the slower pieces, I feel encouraged and inspired.
What sets Sleep
Sound apart from their previous albums is the increased richness
of their sound, this time with an added brass section, which was
sparsely used in their second album April. This time it's a
much more pronounced sound, adding a lot of character to the tunes.
One of my favourite sounds in the world is an appropriately placed
trumpet and there are a few of those moments in this album. Most of
the time they still are at heart a rock band and they never feel like
they're straying too far from their genre, which is fortunately very
flexible.
My love for this album
grows each time I listen to it, every song connecting with me and
leaving a lasting impression. My favourites? “Rolling Sideways”
is great fun and has a great piano track. “Cotton Wool” sets a
great emotional landscape, giving a sense of longing and distance.
It's quite beautiful. It's followed by “Them Rolling Boys” which
is a more edgy track, and certainly one of the strongest as it has
the most satisfying progression and rocks the hardest throughout. The
final track “Fast Train” is another terrific track, that feels
like it's taking me on a long journey, leaving me wanting more. I
guess I'll have to wait until their next album though.
What is encouraging is
that Hope & Social are a band that seem comfortable in their own
skin. Their music is strong and confident and they give the listener
the choice of how much they want to pay for it. Not only with the
digital copy, but the physical ones as well. You can download it for
free or the disc is available for simply the cost of producing it and
shipping. All they ask is that you pay them what you feel the album
is worth, which is a difficult thing for a musician to ask,
particularly when they pour so much work into their art. I would
encourage you to give Sleep Sound a listen and if you share my
enthusiasm, why not support the music?
5 Stars
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