The Sleeper [CD]

Part of our Two CDs for £9 offer*

This band have more celebrity endorsements than Red Nose day .The albums sleeve notes thank Mark Radcliffe , Stuart Maconie, Marc Riley ,Lauren Laverne , Zane Lowe ,Dermot O'Leary ( Wot...rather than Eoghan Quigg ?) Bob Harris and Guy Garvey (who cited their December single The Last of the Melting Snow his favourite song of 2008) for their support. You can add me to that salubrious list for what it,s worth ( precisely zero i would imagine). This is a great album .
Singer/multi-instrumentalist Nick Hemming (ukulele, mandolin, banjo, sitar, autoharp, guitar amongst many others) and keyboardist Christian Hardy form the core of the group, with striking arrangements also including strings, flute, pedal steel, glockenspiel, clarinet and erm...talking bowl among other instruments. Hemming used to be in a group with film maker Shane Meadows and shares his acute eye for minute detail and resonant empathy with his subject matter.
Their music has been likened to Americana with a pastoral English bent and that's a pretty good way to describe it. They do sound quintessentially English. So i hear strains of XTC circaSkylarking in the strings on the title track and the aforementioned "The Last Of The Melting Snow" reminds me of a band called Dakota SuiteThe End of Trying who also specialised in radiant but forlorn ballads. There is a real pop sensibility on a track like "Save It For Someone Who Cares" while "The Darkest Place I Know" could come off an EnoHere Come the Warm JetsTaking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) solo album with it's lilting magnificence.
The album does throw in a few feints just to keep the listener on their metaphorical toes. The clippity clop arrangement on "Are You Happy ?", the rustic wig-out at the end of "Save It For Someone Who Cares" and the splendid new single "In A Matter Of Time" which combines the observational mien of The Kinks and Squeeze set to a tune both would be proud of.
So plenty of cracking tunes, some pithy lyrics -"Here's another name to add to your collection /She lacks in desire what I lack in direction "- pleasant easy on the ear vocals and a genuinely intriguing sound and approach - like a restrained Rockingbirds doing The Handsome Family , make The Sleeper one of the must have albums of the year so far. The title is surely an indication that this group view themselves as a band that will insidiously worm their way into the affections . They are being overly modest. One listen and you will be hooked. To keep the sleep metaphor going this is the stuff of discreet dreams.

This album is one of my favourites of the year so far. Each song is beautifully composed and interspersed with many different instruments. There are flute and strings to provide some orchestration, mixed with banjos, ukelele and many more. There is even a banjo whig-out at the end of 'Save It for Someone Who Cares' which recalls 'Duelling Banjos'. The singing is tight too, with close harmonies between Nick and Christian, as well as accompaniment from the rest of the band. It is some of the best Americana you will hear that didn't come from America.

Nick Hemming and Christian Hardy have created a feel good album, full of intelligent lyrics and catchy melodies. Their Ivor Novello nominated single 'Last of the Melting Snow' is a mournful tale of an ended relationship, while 'We Were Wasted' is a nostalgic tale of nights out in Hemming's native Burton-on-Trent. The rest of the album touches on death, more lost love, happiness and more. There is a gentle cohesion to the themes and sound which makes it feel like an excellent album, rather than just a collection of songs. Opening with the lazy 'Give Yourself a Fighting Chance', it is just under 40 minutes of aural bliss.

This is a fantastic debut and the band deserves recognition. It sits firmly alongside the new wave of British folk - similar in sound to Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons, Noah and the Whale, and The Boy Least Likely To - but also The Kinks in their 'Village Green Preservation Society' era, with the nostalgia, the wit and wistful lyrics. My favourite tracks are 'A Short Weekend Begins with Longing' and 'A Matter of Time', but all of the songs are brilliant and it comes highly recommended. Buy it now, you won't regret it!

I first came across this group (if they are actually a group) through the playing of their music on Radio 2's Radcliffe and Maconie show as they released singles - this promotion of the group was recently capped with an outstanding live session which proved what wonderful songsmiths the Society are.

This is simply beautiful music - it's music to savour, to enjoy in a very unhurried manner - smooth melodies, joyful harmonies and just the most feelgood presence to the sounds.

The quality of the songwriting is excellent and has been recognised by the industry with the Ivor Novello nomination for the haunting "last of the melting snow".

I love smooth melodic music and currently listen to Fleet Foxes, Belles Will Ring, The Capitol Years, The Beach Boys (endlessly), the Association (showing my age!) - and the Leisure Society are right in there with this beautiful offering - if you want to bang your head or jump about, go buy something else - if you want to drift along, then this is a must.