Sleepy Sun

Fever

(ATP)

Record Review by Kevan Peterson

Sleepy Sun live up to their name by setting a slow pace, but still burning bright on their album Fever.  Starting with slow revving tune “Marina,” the music is reminiscent of the waves that would lap on just such a place, slow and hypnotic with a sense of danger.  The song switches from melancholy to urgent about halfway through, as if an unexpected storm had just hit shore. 

In fact, this type of shift in both tone and tempo is a trick employed often, usually to great dramatic effect throughout the course of Fever.  Mixing psychedelic rock with a healthy dose of blues and folk, Sleepy Sun have concocted a unique recipe that is sure to satiate most musical appetites. Bret Constantino and Rachel Williams, the dueling lead vocalists, complement each other well, and the band plays melodies that manage to jump between sparse arrangements and dense layers.

Besides the opening track, standout songs include the folksy “Rigamaroo,” the gritty “Desert God,” and “Open Eyes,” which layers distorted vocals over light but urgent tapping drums.  Sleepy Sun has managed to pay homage to several decades of bands before them, while still maintaining a sound that is uniquely their own.