Arts & Entertainment
 

Sleepy Jackson wakes up with 'Lovers'

Steele leads Australian group with successful combination of European influences

By Dusti Rhodes
The Daily Cougar

A great record should be defined by its ability to keep a listener from hitting the "next track" button. Many might argue that no one would aim to put out a record with only a couple of tracks that are worth listening to, but the "skip" button is not there for kicks, and greatest hits albums are created for this very reason.

Luke Steele has managed to put out a great record. Although he doesn't have his name on the album, he is the only band member pictured on the cover. His band, The Sleepy Jackson, is led by his ability to create songs that keep audiences interested by making them forget the previous track as soon as the new one begins.

Every track on this album may not be a radio hit, and today's rock audience may prohibit any of them from getting to the top of the charts, but this record survives from one track to the next by borrowing rock's greatest sounds and adding a touch of the unheard.

Although the band is originally from Perth, Australia, it's clear it was influenced by European artists. Its album, Lovers, is a collection of today's indie sounds with influences ranging from The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Joy Division and even Bob Dylan. With an Elvis Costello style of composition, Steele borrows from pop's past to create 13 clever tracks of his own. Although there are some small hints of garage rock, Lovers sticks to a more pop-oriented sound with clean guitars and catchy rhythms.

"Good Dancers" is a light, welcoming, melodic tune that relaxes listeners with the sugar-coated sounds of the wah pedal and female voices that have you ready to sit back in your car and enjoy a nice ride. But that is quickly put to rest when the drums of "Vampire Racecourse" kick in to make you stomp your gas pedal to keep up with the catchy rhythms. You might want to switch to cruise control.

The album then dives back down into a dark pop sound, but the sun again rises with the next set of tracks. Steele has the power to keep listeners' attention by sticking with a formula that utilizes every element on the indie rock table.

"Fill Me with Apples" is a piano-backed spoken word track that comes out of nowhere but disappears quickly enough to instill confusion before dissatisfaction. Listeners will think, "What the hell?," then, "Oh well it's over," followed by, "That was kind of cool."

"Mini Skirt" may have loungers thinking Esquivel, but this steel guitar-licked alt-country beauty would suit those decked out in their rodeo best moving along on sawdust floors. Steele's lyrical style stands out on this track as he tries to solve his girl trouble, commenting on the affinity of "the pretty ones" for sex and drugs.

The last two tracks take the album out on the same light pop sound that brought it in, but this time with a Dylan influence.

The Sleepy Jackson's style may be borrowed, cliched and a bit overdone, but each of these unavoidable musical sins is forgiven by a fresh take on the old that keeps Lovers intriguing until the last track. The group does its best to return the sounds of old in the same condition they were left.

The band will take on Texas when it joins the Astralwerks showcase at South by Southwest March 18, followed by a show in Houston on March 21 at Mary Jane's.

The Sleepy Jackson

Lovers

Astralwerks Records

The verdict: Don't touch that dial; the best song is up next.
 
 

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