Monday 1 May 2017

Sleep - The Clarity 12"


Tracklist:-

1. The Clarity

While it's still early and I'm still fresh, I though I'd crack on with a couple of reviews. The first of which is this single-sided 12" release by Sleep. This is actually the re-release (via Southern Lord) of a song they recorded in 2014 for a singles program by Adult Swim and it was the first song recorded by the band in over two decades. Original members Al Cisneros and Matt Pike have been reunited with Neurosis drummer Jason Roeder, who joined the trio in 2009 . The re-release has been pressed onto both black and white vinyl featuring special etching on the b-side. 

The Clarity starts with funky, fuzzy bass-guitar before breaking into heavy psych. Matt Pike’s often-atonal vocals are used sparsely and match the droning atmosphere that pierces the song. The percussion in the background is really powerful, yet The Clarity itself isn’t unapproachably heavy. To hear one of the bands that took the mantle from Black Sabbath and made stoner/doom what it is today is a pleasure. As Pike’s guitar-solo screams out of the speakers, it’s hard to imagine that this was the first song Sleep recorded in over twenty years. I guess that’s why it sounds so fresh though. All three members have spent time playing in countless other notable bands including Neurosis, High on Fire and Shrinebuilder, and they’re not the sort of band to release music for the sake of it, so it’s a big deal when they do. The Clarity may now be three years old but let’s hope that more new music appears through the haze.

You can stream The Clarity and purchase it digitally or on vinyl below:-



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