Turn Me Off
(Grave Mistake)
I bought the debut EP from Maryland’s Deep Sleep, which came out at least 4 years ago; listened to it, liked it, then filed it away, and admit I kinda forgot about it. They’ve released 2 further seven-inches that passed me by. And now their debut LP “Turn Me Off” comes in to my possession. Slipped it in the stereo and had my tiny mind blown to pieces. Wow!
In an age when bands who have barely gigged have an array of recorded material for sale, Deep Sleep prove that what you do in fact is hone your live sound, release a few tracks intermittently, and finally commit yourself to laying down a full albums worth of tracks (in this case – ten). And make it count! With “Turn Me Off” they really have. This is seriously tight music, with barely a second’s gap between songs that are fuelled by chunky hooks and instantly stick-in-your-head snotty choruses.
Really, I can hear so much class influence in this music… there’s a ‘thanks to’ in the credits to Chemical People, Big Drill Car and ALL… well I definitely hear some of BDC’s sharp melodies, but it’s ALL who I’m most reminded of, with the pronounced bass, precision riffage and pounding tub thumping, to the rapido vocal delivery. I’ll throw in some Adolescents too for the harmonies, and BL’AST for the Flag envy! And I’d say this music is most guaranteed to rock the pit of folk who dig Strike Anywhere, Paint it Black, Cloak/Dagger… et al.
Still smarting over the Descendents failure to deliver in London? Screw that, check out Deep Sleep and restore your faith in tight/melodic/hardcore tuneage. One of the best albums I’ve heard this year, oh yeah!
Pete Craven