Sleep (band)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2010) |
Sleep | |
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Background information | |
Origin | San Jose, California, U.S. |
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Website | weedian |
Sleep is an American
The band released their debut album,
History
Early years
Sleep evolved in the early 1990s from the band Asbestosdeath, which was established by vocalist/bassist Al Cisneros, drummer Chris Hakius, and guitarist Tom Choi. Asbestosdeath expanded to a quartet with the introduction of Matt Pike on guitar, and recorded two singles - "Dejection" for Profane Existence and the self-released "Unclean". Choi departed, and later founded Operator Generator, It Is I, Noothgrush, and Las Vegas' Black Jetts. Asbestosdeath recruited Justin Marler as replacement and the band adopted the new name, Sleep.
Recording era
Their debut album
The band's next album was sent to the independent label Earache as a demo. Recorded at Razors Edge studios in San Francisco, with Billy Anderson as engineer, the tape showcased Sleep's love of all things retro, from the blatant Black Sabbath/Blue Cheer influences, to their fixation with 1970's-style tube amplification.[3] The label immediately signed the band and released the tape exactly as it was received.
Under their new contract, Sleep began work on its third album,
After Sleep
In 1998, Sleep released
Finally, in 2003 the original version of
Cisneros and Hakius later formed the doom metal band Om while Pike formed sludge metal band High on Fire.
In 2007 a CD compilation of both 7-inch releases of the pre-Sleep band Asbestosdeath was released on
Reunion and The Sciences
In May 2009, Sleep reformed to perform two exclusive reunion sets in Britain as part of the
After the band's initial reunion performance, original drummer Chris Hakius decided to retire from music to raise a family, and he was replaced on drums by
From 2010 onward, Sleep performed similar sporadic festival and touring engagements when the members' otherwise busy touring schedules permitted. In late 2012, in conjunction with an upcoming appearance at Maryland Deathfest, the band stated that it considers Sleep to be a "full, reunited band."[6] In 2014, Al Cisneros announced in an interview that the band was working on a new record.[7] On July 21, 2014, a new song titled "The Clarity" was released via Adult Swim Singles.[8]
In November 2017 the band members posted a message in Morse code stating that they had almost finished recording material for a new album.[9][10] On April 19, 2018, the band announced The Sciences, their first album in nearly 20 years, to be released the next day on Third Man Records.[11] The release of The Sciences was a surprise, being released the day after it was announced, and created a lot of excitement within their fanbase. The album's release date, April 20, 2018, was also Record Store Day weekend. Third Man Records released a limited edition split-colored vinyl with an alternate cover to be sold at a limited number of record stores in the US on the release date.[12] The album was met with critical acclaim. Pitchfork wrote in their review, "[The Sciences] makes everything that was originally great about Sleep even better."[13] Spin declared that the record gives "stoner-metal acolytes a bonafide miracle."[14]
On May 23, 2018, Sleep released a new song titled "Leagues Beneath" through Adult Swim Singles and Third Man Records.
On November 11, 2019, the band announced an indefinite hiatus.
In early 2022, the band announced a return to live shows.
Style
Musically, Sleep's sound has been characterized as
Sleep has used cannabis-influenced imagery since the release of their second album, often delivered in a "quasi-religious" manner.[15] In an interview about the making of Dopesmoker, Matt Pike acknowledged that the band spent "a lot" of their label advance on cannabis, and "a lot of time."[citation needed] Pike also said that about $75,000 was spent on customized amplifiers so the album would have numerous tone layers. He said the songwriting process for Dopesmoker was long, with the band "working on [the song] for like four years."[16] Al Cisneros stated that smoking cannabis was vital to the song's creative process: "I was really dependent on the space I got into when I was using it [...] The line, 'Drop out of life [with bong in hand],' was kind of a creed at that point."[17]
Their record The Sciences makes multiple allusions to
Members
Current lineup
- Al Cisneros – bass, vocals, waterpipe (1990–1998, 2009–2019, 2022–present)
- Matt Pike – guitars (1990–1998, 2009–2019, 2022–present)
- Jason Roeder – drums (2010–2019, 2022-present)
Former members
- Chris Hakius – drums (1990–1998, two performances in 2009)
- Justin Marler – guitars (1990–1991)
-
Al Cisneros
-
Matt Pike
-
Jason Roeder
Timeline
Discography
Albums
Note: The band's album Dopesmoker (2003) was originally released as Jerusalem in 1999 by The Music Cartel. This release was unauthorized by the band who discredit the validity of its quality and release.[20]
- Volume One (1991) Tupelo Recording Company
- Sleep's Holy Mountain (1992) Earache Records
- Jerusalem and Dopesmoker (1999) The Music Cartel; (2003) Tee Pee Records; (2012) Southern Lord Records; (2022) Third Man Records
- The Sciences (2018) Third Man Records
EPs
- Volume Two (1992) Off the Disk Records
- Iommic Life (2021) Third Man Records
- Released on 4/20/21, contains the remixed version of the single "The Clarity" and the single "Leagues Beneath."
Non-album tracks
- "Snowblind" (Black Sabbathcover) on Masters of Misery (1992) Earache Records
- "Dopesmoker (abridged version)" on Music from Broken Flowers (2005) Decca Records
- "The Clarity" on Adult Swim Singles Program 2014 (2014) Williams Street Records
- "Leagues Beneath" on Adult Swim Singles Program 2017 (2018) Williams Street Records/Third Man Records
Music videos
- Dragonaut (1993) Earache Records
References
- AllMusic
- ^ "The Sciences by Sleep". Metacritic. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-656-1.
- ^ Koczan, JJ. "Saturday Sleep In: "Antarcticans Thawed" Live at ATP 2009". The Obelisk. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- ^ Burke, Max. "Sleep: Interview". Prefixmag.com. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ^ "Sleep announce that they're fully reunited | Ghettoblaster Magazine". Archived from the original on December 3, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
- ^ "SLEEP Are Working On A New Record". January 3, 2014.
- ^ "Adult Swim Shows". Adult Swim.
- ^ "WEEDIAN.COM – The official site of the band SLEEP". Weedian.com.
- ^ "SLEEP Reveals It's Working With NEUROSIS's Keyboardist Via Morse Code". Metalinjection.net. April 12, 2017.
- ^ "Sleep Release First New Album in Over a Decade". Pitchfork.com. April 19, 2018.
- ^ "Sleep Releases First New Album Since 1998". Third Man Records. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ Haver Currin, Grayson. "Sleep: The Sciences Album Review". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ Camp, Zoe (April 24, 2018). "Review: Sleep - 'The Sciences'". Spin. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ a b Franklin, Dan. "Sleep – The Sciences". The Quietus. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Bennett, 2009. p. 294
- ^ Bennett, 2009. p. 295
- ^ Sodomsky, Sam. "Sleep – 'Marijuanaut's Theme'". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ The Sciences (vinyl liner notes). Sleep. Third Man Records. 2018. TMR 547.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Schober, Patrick (October 14, 2019). "Dopesmoker: How Sleep's Magnum Opus Ended the Band's Career". Monster Riff. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
Bibliography
- Bennett, J. (2009). "High Times: The Making of Sleep's Jerusalem". In Mudrian, Albert (ed.). ISBN 978-0-306-81806-6.