Forgive the boring cliche.
Frank Turner.
Christ, I was going to have to say it at some point, so let’s get it out of the way.
But here’s the thing. If I didn’t know The Sleeping Souls were Frank’s backing band, you’d never know from the music on “Just Before The World Starts Burning”
Indeed, that much is certain from the opening “Underneath An Ocean Of Sky”. It’s as vast as its title. Arena ready. Polished. Glorious. Not a million miles from the recent Lonely The Brave record, actually.
But, don’t let that fool you. The Sleeping Souls have far too much to say to get tied down to one thing. So it is, then, that “Caught Up In The Scrape” is a fizzing bundle of energy, somewhere north of Jimmy Eat World in screeching intent, and the sloganeering continues apace in “Scared Of Living”. “I don’t wanna be controlled” goes the hook, and there’s an element of this bursting forth, forging its path.
There’s an acoustic strum to “Weathering The Storm” but again, as if eager to do its own thing, the drums are powerful. DMAS are looking in enviously, somewhere in Sydney, you can bet.
The only non Sleeping Soul here, as it were (although he’s filled in for Turner a few times) is Cahir O’Doherty. He’s currently in The New Pagans and he’s taken the mantle of chief songwriter gleefully. “Remember Boann” is clever anyway, but it is elevated by the piano of Matt Nasir, and the string-laden “Steal Some Time” is a slice of reflection from the top draw.
The recent single”Rivals” is the type of jagged, taut punk that Therapy? have been doing for decades, and it’s important to O’Doherty, and whoever the “The Selfist” is about, it sounds like that one is just as personal.
There’s a sort of turn-of-the-century feel to some of this, but my goodness it’s a varied buffet. Where, “….”Selfist” would be superior singer/songwriter fayre, if this wasn’t a band, while Biffy Clyro would be proud of the huge “Nothing To Talk About”. The guitar solo from Ben Lloyd is a mighty thing.
TSS, though are skilful enough to pull off anything they choose, and make no mistake “…..Burning” goes to some varied places, from the cinematic “Liar Lover” to the more claustrophobic “Ceremony” in a couple of minutes. “You’ll find me falling to pieces” sings O’Doherty and he sounds genuinely troubled.
The last one “Whispers To The Faithful” has echoes of Elliott Smith in its delivery, fragile until it builds so expertly.
And that’s the apt word here: “expertly”, The Sleeping Souls are not a “new” band in the concentration sense, but they sound so fresh on “Just Before The World Starts Burning” that they very much are.
Less a debut, more a statement that says: these shadows, they aren’t for everyone
