The Sleeper
 
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The Sleeper

The Leisure SocietyMP3 Download
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

 
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  Song Title Time Price    
  1. A Fighting Chance 3:32 Not Available  
  2. The Sleeper 3:50 Not Available  
  3. The Last of the Melting Snow 3:33 Not Available  
  4. A Short Weekend Begins With Longing 3:17 Not Available  
  5. We Were Wasted 2:55 Not Available  
  6. Save It For Someone Who Cares 4:01 Not Available  
  7. The Darkest Place I Know 3:49 Not Available  
  8. Are We Happy? 2:54 Not Available  
  9. Come To Your Senses 2:31 Not Available  
10. A Matter of Time 6:02 Not Available  
11. Love's Enormous Wings 2:31 Not Available  
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By russell clarke TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By B. Wright VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
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!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The type of person that stumbles across this band is highly likely to enjoy "good" music as a rule and will undoubtedly recognise many influences and traits throughout the album.The sound is that of THE LEISURE SOCIETY, their own unique signature, but I am not being over-zealous when I say I hear The Beatles, Teenage Fan Club, Clifford T Ward and Crosby Stills Nash and Young in the mix. Nothing is knowingly robbed or lifted it is simply that the band obviously have great taste and it comes across throughout the album.

Having owned the cd for about a week, I cannot stop playing it. It is a beautiful album and in "The Last of The Melting Snow" possesses a song which is a genuine masterpiece, one of the finest songs I have ever heard. Do believe the hype, this is without doubt a modern classic. If you like lush harmonies, pastoral sounds, great lyrics, excellent musicianship and strong melodies you'd be a fool to miss out. ESSENTIAL KIT!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Melody makers
This is a really great album. They can be unfairly compared to other folk/pop avatars but they stand alone in terms of melody and variety. Read more
Published 2 months ago by E. R. Hartley
Sleeper
A very prompt delivery, with very good communication. Everything fine with the product with the CD and case in new condition and playing fine.
Published 8 months ago by N. Murphy
The Slee - far from sleep inducing
We had heard this group being interviewed on Radio 2 and on that basis bought the CD. What wonderfully original sound and lyrics performed by people who can actually play their... Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2009 by S. Jenkinson
A Breath of Fresh Air......
The Leisure Society new release 'The Sleeper', is an absolute gem of an album. For a while now, after seeing them perform live and following them on Myspace and Youtube, I've been... Read more
Published on 12 Oct 2009 by S. Faulkner
It's Getting Better All The Time
I was knocked sideways when I caught them on a lovely summer's day at the The Big Chill. It was the cover version of Cars that clinched it and then I had to go and buy the album. Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2009 by T. Evans
Charming, Beautiful, Wonderful
I only discovered The Leisure Society on Saturday - two days ago. A chance mention of them in a monthly music magazine led me to looking them up on the wonderful Spotify. Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2009 by Coincidence Vs Fate
Wonderful
This is a truly beautiful album - harmonic, elegant and wistful. My favourite album so far this year.
Published on 23 July 2009 by Mr. Cameron D. Wyllie
Not one bad track
Bought on the recommendation of a cyberpal - after listening to the snippets available via amazon - and the track 'last of the melting snow' via 'other sources'. Read more
Published on 16 July 2009 by Poppy Dog
Beautiful, stirring- and thanks to Radcliffe and Maconie!
A really atmospheric, multi-layered album that I was attracted to by the track "Last of the Melting Snow" which Radcliffe and Maconie raved about on their Radio 2 show. Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2009 by M. McCann
a little gem
I was intrigued on hearing that "last of the melting snow" was up with the likes of Elbow for an Ivor Novello award. Read more
Published on 22 May 2009 by Christophe Prigent
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