A Driving Album Release from Eric Sleeper
The latest album release from Eric Sleeper brings together elements of grunge, alternative rock, and a unique approach to speaking his mind and letting truths out, all done with a slew of '90s underground rock influences showing face and plenty of authenticity.
The first track, "Ghost" balances this line between that edgy sort of grunge approach and a quirky 90s rock feel with unique riffs that have winding sort of bending guitar approaches, and I really love that aspect because it adds a slight haunt to the song, which, of course, makes perfect sense. Now, this track does really well to introduce the record and the overall tonality of it.
The guitar tones throughout this record are perfect. They are heavy but never over the top. This isn't like a metal-style record. This is an alternative and grunge style record with a great approach to the arrangement, and being able to utilize those guitars to build something outside the box, but still familiar and welcoming.
Tracks like "Killer Eyes" bring out elements of emo, garage rock, and touch on getting descriptive with lyrics so that you can sort of paint a picture in your head as the song unfolds, but also still have that heavier edge with the grunge tones.
I love songs like this one because the vocals come across as almost vulnerable in a way. They're doubled up, and it thickens the song up layer-wise, but it's really how he approaches those vocals that makes it memorable.
It almost feels like an emo style undertone, where the song could have easily been written on an acoustic guitar first and then brought into a heavier atmosphere with electric guitars and drums.
Then, songs like "Lotto" come along and bring you back to that garage grit and fuzz tone approach when the music is on the heavier side of things, but not over the top, while the vocals have a bit of swagger and almost mystery to them.
I love that combination because it comes through in a particular way and creates an aesthetic.
"Midnight Robber" has to be one of my favorite tracks on this record by far.
First of all, the drumming is outstanding on this record and adds a unique drive to the track, while a lot of the other aspects feel like a live garage rock performance.
This track definitely showcases that live energy. It feels like a full band playing live in a room, getting that energy so unique that it feels like you just saw a show.
There's also that little element of cinematic feel below the surface of some of these songs.
The truths are heavy-handed, and as he tells stories, you wonder if they came from some place, real or not.
Some of them are a bit more detailed, where you can really get that picture of what's going on, while others take a different approach, and whichever it is, the lyrics have a very particular way of grabbing you.
A lot of the time, it's how they are performed because, again, it's almost like he falls into these different characters with each track.
That's really what I like about this vocal performance.
That's also a reason why you should listen to this entire record from start to finish. You don't really want to miss any tracks, and there are more than a few surprises around its corners, so to really get a grasp of everything it offers, listening to it in full is the only way to go.
You can absolutely hear that slew of '90s grunge influences along with hard rock, little hints of heavier alt-rock, and a bit of riot-rock, which was a big thing in the mid-'90s.
It's just a little bit of greediness and a lot of fuzz tone with a specific Sonic drive, and this record captures that aesthetic very well.
I would definitely dive into this one nice and loud because it's something that you want to take in at high volume.
I love the feel of that almost over-the-top fuzzy drive that this offers. At times, it feels almost as if the guitars are actually peeking out, and you're getting this feedback effect, which again, brings me back to the whole live performance feel.
This was a massive record, and you should definitely check it out again, the whole way through, because it's totally worth your time, especially if you dig grunge, garage rock, fuzz tone, and even elements of punk show face throughout this record.
Check this one out right now and see what it does for you.
