From Oh My Rockness:
The Big Sleep
Finally, a new NYC band that isn't pretending to care what a young NYC band should supposedly sound like. These guys aren't retro (if anything, they are future-o), don't employ Wire-like guitars, and don't do the Hell yelp or Curtis croon. The Big Sleep are a trio that plays driving psych-rock that sounds similar to the forever-underrated Turing Machine, or Trans Am back when they were good.
This band is extremely tight on the rhythms, creating walls of stunning guitar sound backed by precise percussion. Their songs definitely get a groove going, and you can almost hear each member's pure delight at how well they can rock it with each other. But their jams never cross that common threshold into ostentatious grandstanding. The Big Sleep know less is more, and 4-5 minutes is all they need to completely hook us and reel us right in. -------------
Ok, I think The Big Sleep sounds pretty good from what I've heard, but isn't it this an awfully disingenuous write-up? At any given time there are probably a few THOUSAND young bands in NYC that aren't trying to sound like the narrow definition given here, and at least a few of them are probably good. It's narrow-minded indieverse sites like OMR that tend to push What A Young NYC Band Should Supposedly Sound Like the hardest in the first place.
― Hurting 2, Monday, 28 May 2007 00:10 (nineteen years ago)
Oh My Rockness is the worst name for a bloggozine (i don't know it) that I have ever heard.
Also, that review is terribly written.
― the table is the table, Monday, 28 May 2007 00:12 (nineteen years ago)
'(Band X) sounds like (Band A) when they didn't suck, and they use some cool rhythms and grooves.'
That tells me absolutely nothing.
― the table is the table, Monday, 28 May 2007 00:14 (nineteen years ago)
Their writing is never very good - I usually give them a pass since they're not really a full-blown music review site (think about the writing in almost any publication's listing section). But I'm really bothered by how small their musical world is.
― Hurting 2, Monday, 28 May 2007 00:15 (nineteen years ago)
The Big Sleep is a terrible name for a band.
― Preview of the Matrix 12, Monday, 28 May 2007 00:22 (nineteen years ago)
The Big Sleep is a GREAT name for a band. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038355/
― Mordechai Shinefield, Monday, 28 May 2007 00:31 (nineteen years ago)
I don't mind the name at all.
― Hurting 2, Monday, 28 May 2007 00:34 (nineteen years ago)
Aside from the obvious set-up for cheapshot negative review headlines.
"Finally, an American film that doesn't have an explosion every 30 seconds"
― Hurting 2, Monday, 28 May 2007 00:36 (nineteen years ago)
"Finally, a young hipster band that isn't playing the style of music that went out of style at least two years ago among hipsters"
― Hurting 2, Monday, 28 May 2007 00:40 (nineteen years ago)
Just for the record, for you folks from outside of NY, Oh My Rockness might be a crap name for anything or be poorly written, but it is just about the best place to find out what gigs are on around here and AFAIK that is mainly what it is used for.
All of the foregoing does indeed sound silly but strong writing isn't what you go to OMR for in the first place. Jus' sayin'...
I think the Big Sleep is actually a pretty cool name for a band but it seems a bit sad that that would matter so much anyway. What if Pavement had been called the String Cheese Incident (or worse, if such a thing exists)? Would that mean they suck?
― Saxby D. Elder, Monday, 28 May 2007 05:33 (nineteen years ago)
Yeah, that's what I check it for in the first place. But my complaint really isn't about the writing - it's about the myopic worldview.
― Hurting 2, Monday, 28 May 2007 05:43 (nineteen years ago)
I ain't hatin on your post, Hurt... If I ever bothered to read anything at OMR other than the listings, I am sure I would agree with you!
I am not sure I know quite what this means but I like it anyway! ;-)
― Saxby D. Elder, Monday, 28 May 2007 16:18 (nineteen years ago)