I Have Sleepy Sun Fever!

"Their first release on ATP records Embrace illuminated the golden path to Sleepy land—hard-riffing, delicate, dreamy and cultivated. The latest ATP release, Fever, is arrival at the palace the path promised."

Any regular reader(s) of this blog should be well familiar with this wonderful Californian group by now. They would also know just how much I personally love the band. I've told the story a few times already, but here it is again. I stumbled upon the band's debut 'Embrace' completely by chance, after learning of the bands working relationship with one of my other current favourites, Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound. In a desperate move to hold off and momentarily distract myself from my heightened anticipation & waiting of 2009's 'When Sweet Sleep Returned', I decided to pick up SS' 'Embrace'. Immediately, and i mean fucking INSTANTLY (as the wild drumming of 'New Age' kicked in) i was hooked. I must of played that record an even 50 times or more in the space of 2 or 3 months. It was an insane obsession that didn't let up, obviously.

I've been tracking the group for any news on the follow-up album over the last few months, and finally It's all starting to surface. Check out some of the descriptions and reviews I've found, hopefully they excite you as much as they do me. And finally, below are a few videos of the new tracks performed live by the band over the last year or so. I've listened to the youtube clips of 'Wild Machines' so many times the song hardly feels new to me. 'Marina' ain't bad either, that video of them playing it @ Primavera was incredible. The tribal breakdown at the end, and then when the jam kicks back in.. as well as Rachel's dancing haha, everything I love about the band right there. If pressed, I'd say those two are my favourite tunes from the band to date. I can't wait to hear how they sound from the studio-side, just another reason to be excited for record No. 2, 'Fever' - due out out 17th May (UK) & 6th June (US).

It's actually my birthday on the 4th of June, so i could very well have a nicely timed & tasty gift coming my way. This is going to be special folks!

The Band:
Myspace
Band Site
Blog
Twitter
Facebook

Other Links of Interest:
Stereogum - Track-list, Details + Mini Review & Tour Dates
ATP Recordings - Updated Sleepy Sun Bio
Uncut.co.uk - Very promising review!

Assemble Head in Sleepy Sun!

Two of my favourite bands touring and hanging out together, sounds like good times! Can't wait to hear the next Sleepy Sun album. If i remember correctly they've mentioned that it's already complete. They're sitting on it while "Embrace" continues to buzz about, waiting for the right time to drop the new one i guess. Hoping for an early 2010 release myself, but who knows! I don't even know the name of my favourite SS song, what's up with that? Can't wait to hear this beast properly recorded in studio.

http://www.myspace.com/sleepysun
http://www.myspace.com/theassembleheadinsunburst

Strange Waves [A Psychedelicompilation] [SludgeSwamp Exclusive]

Sorry for the lack of posts (again) folks.. but i've returned with something special for you! You all should be familiar with the mighty SludgeSwamp blog? Over the years i have discovered a hell of a lot of good tunes over that way. The regular fan base is pretty incredible, and the staff are always free for a chat. It's a really rewarding blog to frequent, that's fo' sho. Anyway, i couldn't help but notice they are now taking Reader Compilations for the Fall, and thought to myself what better way to begin giving back to their community than mixing my very own.

Here I've compiled a great mix of psych, post-rock, prog and doom, and mixed them in a unique way, editing track segueing and playing around with layers etc. I think you guys will really dig the diversity and how it all flows along nicely. This is basically my soundtrack while browsing the NASA picture of the day archive: (http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) It's a really sweet place to kill some time and read up on all the incredible cosmic fuckery, while listening to the appropriate tunes of course. In turn, my cover designs were influenced by these images, hope you folks dig. Keep watching the skies! ;)

Link: http://sludgeswamp.blogspot.com/2009/09/freak-out.html
Alternative: http://sharebee.com/a2f6038d

Assemble Head in Sleepy Sun! cont.

Try It - Myspace

Try It - Buy It - Myspace

A week or so ago i mentioned the September tour Sleepy Sun & Assemble Head are about to set off on. Figured what better way to fire some of you up who might be deciding to go, than with these sweet live recordings from each band. I can't see either of them stepping foot over here in my native Australia any time soon, so sadly i gotta make do with this for now.

The Assemble Head here is an unofficial recording of their set at Roadburn last year. The quality sounds great, as they work through material spreading from all 3 albums. I quickly dodged up this horrible cover, using a photograph taken from the performance and a shitty res image of their band logo (feel free to dispose of it at your own will). These guys rock!

The Sleepy Sun iTunes Exclusive recording is most excellent. It has only been available from the iTunes store so i got myself a copy. They work through some 'Embrace' material, extended and even adding a new song ('Mating Season') to the end of 'New Age'. If you need a reason to get this, it's their amazing cover of Fleetwood's 'The Chain'. The harmonica used towards the end of 'White Dove' here sounds so much more powerful than on record, really really cool!

Enjoy. Go see them if you can!

Assemble Head in Sleepy Sun!

Two of the finest bands to emerge from the 21st century San Francisco psychedelic renaissance—Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound and Sleepy Sun—will join forces this September for a three-week, coast-to-coast freakout. The tour, which officially kicks off in Providence, Rhode Island on September 17, will cover 17 dates in New England, Canada, and the Midwest before winding up October 4 in Portland, Oregon. Both bands will also play dates in New York City in the days leading up to the tour kickoff.

The cross-country caravan unites the two bands in performance for the first time outside of California. But they have already joined forces for several epic throwdowns in Northern California—including an upcoming July 31 Big Sur date with Dead Meadow—and worked together in the studio, with Bret Constantino and Evan Reiss of Sleepy Sun lending harmony vocals on the latest Assemble Head release When Sweet Sleep Returned. Heaven knows what mayhem will unfold on this road ramble.

Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound’s third LP—and second on Tee Pee Records—When Sweet Sleep Returned, has garnered its share of raves. And the new album finds the band moving outward from its foundation as a garage-and-Floyd-inflected heavy psych combo into sunnier, celestial, and soulful territory that conjures ghosts of Spiritualized and the Byrds while serving up molten slabs of wrecking ball, White Light scuzz n’ roll. And in performance, the band ranges from high-energy fuzz thuggery to delicate reveries peppered with flute, 12-string guitar, and boy-girl harmonies.

Tee Pee Records
Sleepy Sun - Embrace
Assemble Head - When Sweet Sleep Returned

Sleepy Sun - Embrace [2008]

First of all, this fantastic album is not on the Tee Pee label, nor is the band all together. I thought i would post it anyhow seeing as through Tee Pee and The Assemble Head in particular, i discovered their wonderful music. Just another reason i am itching to get my hands on the new Assemble Head is that these guys contributed on one of the new tracks titled "Two Birds".

Sleepy Sun is an apt title for this young San Francisco sextet, as their debut record, “Embrace”, is one of those rare slabs of rock and roll that will wake you up in the morning, and send you off to sleep at night. After honing their craft in the occult influenced creative community of Santa Cruz, the band has continued to grow, both creatively and in their loyal following, since their relocation to the city by the bay. With their throbbing rhythm section, swirling sea of guitars, and dreamy, haunting duet vocals, the word dynamic is a severe understatement.

Though the press is quick to rifle off a laundry list of rock’s greatest ghosts to describe their sound, one live show is all you need to know Sleepy Sun have stumbled upon something very much their own. Having performed their raw, high-energy show on stages shared with acts such as Howlin’ Rain, Earth, Dead Meadow, and Citay, they are quickly establishing themselves as a very tough act to follow. Fans at shows are known for shouting the band’s battle cry, “Let’s get weird”. If the group continues down their rapid road to success, things are about to get very weird indeed.

Enjoy!

Link removed as per request [ATP Recordings]
This is an excellent band folks, check them out here:
http://www.atpfestival.com
http://www.myspace.com/sleepysun