Sleepy Drums – Lucy, CDEP
Just like my first sip of Kentucky bourbon on this blazing hot midwestern labour day afternoon, the infectious two chord riff from the opening track, “Tired Ties”, forces you into one of those sly smiles that says something really good is happening here. “Tired Ties” has the kind of catchiness that can easily latch into your mind's music player for the next few hours. The following track, “Bummer”, another upbeat number with some wistful J. Mascis-ish guitar playing again pulls the listener into Sleepy Drums' realm of Pavement-like poppy and soothing abrasiveness. “Phrase/Rephrase” while adopting a tone of the repentant melancholy of a relationship in miscommunicative turmoil still manages to grab the listener and even toss in a slight homage to the Ramones no less! This four song EP is closed out by a somber track with nearly undecipherable vocals that seems to be a perfect closer slash come-down for this collection. Sleepy Drums encapsulates the giddy fun pop bravado that so defined other Ohio groups like Moviola or early Guided By Voices. So skip the umpteenth Bobby Pollard solo project/release/whatever and blow your 180 gram vinyl reissue money on this instead....and it also has a really cute dog on the cover. (Andy Breighton)
Lo Fi City Records
http://loficity.bandcamp.com
http://sleepydrums.bandcamp.com