Sleepmakeswaves

in today already walks tomorrow

Written by: DR on 27/06/2009 20:50:58

Another band from the ridiculously underrated Australian music scene who have been garnering much attention and praise for this, their debut album (the lack of capitals is deliberate). With just a two-track demo to their name preceding this, though it was enough for them to gain opening slots for the acclaimed likes of Pelican, Laura and Meniscus. “in today already walks tomorrow” is a real chance for them to establish themselves in the post-rock field.

With not a post-rock song in my library until I downloaded this album, I had absolutely no expectations - in fact, I was ready to write this album off after only listening to it once! However, I listened to it a few more times, only I started to really listen - I escaped from all distractions and allowed my mind to be lead in whatever direction this record wanted to take me.

The opener “i will write peace on your wings and you will fly over the world” is aptly chosen - though the song does almost chose itself as it‘s everything SMW are great at - it starts off intensely, before calming down in to exquisite guitar work, and then progressively builds up to a climax that will make you climax. “exits to nowhere” is three and a half minutes of tranquillity and gives you a chance to put your socks back on before “one day you will teach me to let go of my fears” knocks them clean off again. The inspired choice of a violin is what makes this song, and because of it the composition reaches Orion heights. It is, in this reviewers opinion, their best song. It’s paramount, it’s the pinnacle of the album, thus far it’s Sleepmakeswaves’ acme.

The second half of this album isn’t as ‘big’ as the first half, “so that the children will always shout her name” shows the band don’t just do the crescendo well, but have a softer and more delicate side to them; and “it’s dark, it’s cold, it’s winter” delves even deeper in to elegance, with a particularly impressive performance here by keyboardist Alex.

The album does end in the familiar ‘crescendo-core’ territory with “what we cannot speak of, must be passed over in silence.” A mere 8 minutes long it clocks in as the longest track on this album, and it somehow manages to sum up SMW in that time. It’s serene and precise, carefully considered and gentle, and even when it erupts it never once feels threatening, brash or in-your-face.

It’s a rare and wonderful thing when a piece of music so fine comes along that any vocals of any kind whatsoever would do nothing but ruin it - and that’s what Sleepmakeswaves have created with “in today already walks tomorrow”. It’s flawlessly produced and masterfully executed, the melodies soar, and like any great album it isn’t obvious; it needs and merits your patience. If you’re unconvinced about the post-rock genre, “in today already walks tomorrow” wouldn’t be a bad place to start. With an album this good, your music taste almost becomes irrelevant.

Download: i will write peace on your wings and you will fly over the world, one day you will teach me to let go of my fears, what we cannot speak of must be passed over in silence, (though the entire album is free here)
For Fans of: Explosions in the Sky, God is an Astronaut, Caspian
Listen: Official Myspace

Release Date 18.03.2008
Independent release

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