The Sleeper

Artist: The Leisure Society
Label: Full Time Hobby
Website: myspace.com/theleisuresociety

From the very first strum this album has lovely written all over it. So unashamed is this statement of intent that it's impossible not to like it; sort of like when you meet someone so earnestly nice that you can't bring yourself to hate them, in spite of the fact that their unerringly sunny disposition forces you to reappraise you own jaded, misanthropic perspective of the world. It's for exactly this reason that it gracefully manages to avoid being painfully schmaltzy or twee, instead taking on the mythical properties of being simultaneously nice, rustic and cool. This is is an incredibly commendable achievement; being nauseatingly nice has been the downfall of countless bands in the past, but there's a George Harrison indebted atmosphere of jaunty optimism coursing through the veins of The Sleeper, lending the songs a life affirming lullabies for grownups sort of appeal.

However the overawing cheeriness belies a sincere undercurrent of wistful longing, which though aligned with the current trend of folksy angst (as demonstrated by Noah and the Whale and Mumford and Sons), never comes across as self pitying or overbearing. Lyrical pitch-wise they’ve managed to hit the nail perfectly on the head, landing the soft hammer blow midway between the detached melancholia of traditional pastoral folk and the introspective grievances of the indie scene.

In this light there's a whole raft of influences and comparisons that arise; from Belle and Sebastian and Badly Drawn Boy to contemporaries such as Fleet Foxes and Little Sparta, all of which lends to a wonderful sense of diversity and a lack of geographical definition to The Leisure Society's sound; something that sets them head and shoulders above many others in their musical strata. Something worthy of a special mention is the aforementioned similarity to George Harrison which is most notable on the title track, not many people can pull of that sort of sound without risking negative comparison and in this case its pulled off with style and originality. The diversity of sound is certainly helped by the astonishing number of different instruments used throughout the album, some thirty or so in total many of which are played by core members Nick Hemming and Christian Hardy. Seriously, I even had to go and Google a Talking Bowl to find out what it was, turns out its a rare Tibetan or Nepalese instrument a that involves water and vibrations, who'd have known?

Traditionally this is where the weaknesses in the album should probably be pointed out, but for the life of me I can't really pick any. This is a thoroughly lovely collection of songs that has already stood repeated listens and still entertains. If anything it might be said that the overall duration of The Sleeper is shorter than you might expect, but if anything this works in the album's favour; stopping the experience from becoming cloying just at the right point. However you might be the sort that likes an abundance of sweetness and in that case you'll probably want to pick up the CD version which comes with a bonus EP of alternate versions, unreleased tracks and a cover of Gary Numan's Cars. If you're still not sure what might convince you is that the band was originally founded alongside film legends Shane Meadows and Paddy Consindine, consequently Nick Hemming went on to write songs for A Room for Romeo Brass and Dead Man's Shoes! Sold it for me anyway.

James Farrell