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| Absolutepunk |
 Einstein once said that insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Not to say that The Sleeping were insane when releasing their first three albums, which are full of aggressive, heavy-hitting heart-on-sleeve anthems, but they had a sameness sort of sound to them. On their fourth album, The Big Deep, the Long Island quintet take the plunge into new musical endeavors. They still feature aggressive, heavy-hitting heart-on-sleeve anthems, but this time they’re presented with more depth, digging deeper into their overall sound here, as the eleven tracks expand over a variety of different tempos and influences. “Dark Days” opens with a mesmerizing guitar riff, as vocalist Doug Robinson still sounds as passionate as ever. But the difference between this track and older tracks is the bridge, which is equipped with Christopher Evans’ eerie keys and fuzzed out guitar chords from Paul Cadena. The melancholy continues with the siren-laden “Boroughs of the Ocean,” which really showcases Joseph Zizzo’s quality work behind the kit. The soaring “Beautiful Gloom” is the most rock and roll song in the group’s discography, as the wary verses lead into the best chorus on the album. Lyrics such as, “On my way down, straight down, saw a different side of the moonlight,” kind of sums up the theme of the album – dark in nature but still hopeful. While Robinson doesn’t scream as often as he has on previous albums, his raspy voice is still impactful, as heard on tracks like “Retiring Spies (Change Your Life)” and “Deafening the UK.” The latter is especially impressive, as it may be the highlight on an album that features Robinson’s best vocal work to date. The Sleeping also delves into some uncharted territory, such as fusing jazz into their sound with the haunting “The Phantom of Darker Clouds,” while the vulnerable and string-heavy “Oh, Gloria” showcases another musical stride from the band....full text |
| Reviewrinserepeat |
| Long Island’s The Sleeping have been an interesting band to watch evolve musically since their 2004 debut Believe What We Tell You. The unique voice of vocalist Douglas Robinson coupled with the jazzy, technically proficient guitar playing of Cameron Keym, a bassist not afraid to play louder than the guitarist, and an above-average drummer turned them from a seemingly generic post-hardcore band on paper to a fantastic post-hardcore band on record. Following the departure of Keym in 2008, the band turned to a louder, heavier brand of post-hardcore driven by heavy guitar tones and horror movie-themed Theremin on last year’s What it Takes. While not without its moments, the album felt too monotonous and was ultimately of lower quality than the previous album, Questions & Answers. Luckily for The Sleeping, with The Big Deep they take one step away from What it Takes and take one step forward toward Questions & Answers, which results in a great fusion of their older and newer sound and also some of their most inspired work to date. “Dark Days” kicks off the album, and furthermore sets the mood for the whole record. Lush instrumentation coupled with some of their most inspired songwriting to date makes it one of the best songs in their catalog. As the song titles would tell you, there’s overall a darker mood and lyrical subject on The Big Deep. Rather than Doug Robinson’s vocals taking the forefront, they are often pushed to the background to let the music be overtaken by the strange atmosphere the synths, instruments and production often evokes. While this change may not be welcomed with open arms by every fan of The Sleeping, it’s clear that they’re being who they want to be and succeeding on The Big Deep. Unlike previous albums, the songs rarely feel forced, and everyone seems to be in their element the vast majority of the time. The atmosphere that’s ever present on The Big Deep makes it harder for the listener to instantly latch on to the music, but the result is arguably just as rewarding as the band’s previous albums, if not more so. Thumping bass grooves and eerily melodic keys may drive the sound more than one would want, but The Sleeping has always been an ever-evolving band. The pulsating electronics of songs such as “Beautiful Gloom” or “Deafening the UK” take the place of the Theremin that propelled What it Takes, but it serves their sound and the moods they attempt (and succeed) at stirring up....full text |
| Sputnikmusic |
| It can be a fine line between pleasure and pain… Love and hate… Genius and madness. In the music industry; it can be a fine line between striking it big and being just another one of the thousands of run-of-the-mill artists plying their trade worldwide. One hit single can be all that it takes to transform also-rans into career-long bankable sellers. Hell, in some cases, it can be as little as a gimmicky video, a great publicity campaign, or even a good old-fashioned controversy of some kind! Long Island quintet The Sleeping have seemingly been on the cusp of a giant leap forward ever since they released their debut LP in 2004. Single ‘Don’t Hold Back’ laid the foundation by landing spots on Guitar Hero 3 & Madden ’07, while killer 2009 cut ‘Bomb the World’ may have just been an unfortunate song title away from breaking the band into the big time. Come fourth album ‘The Big Deep’; commercial success looks to be the last thing The Sleeping are concerned with. The band’s 2009 release - the energetic, up-tempo and heavy ‘What It Takes’ – shot for the stars looking for a greater audience, and while its successor’s opener ‘Dark Days’ begins with similar wailing guitars, thumping drums and pronounced bass-lines, ‘The Big Deep’ quickly veers away from such an immediate sound. One need only look at the song titles – ‘Dark Days’, ‘Beautiful Gloom’, ‘Black Waves’ and ‘The Phantom of Darker Clouds’ – to realize this will not reach the top of the charts. Yet, it is also not as dark and melancholy as it would appear, with an “every cloud has a silver lining” connotation to most of the lyrics. The general theme is of learning from reaching one’s lowest points and putting them behind you. “On my way down, saw a different side of the moonlight” states the catchy chorus of highlight ‘Beautiful Gloom’, while the refrain on ‘Deafening the UK’ asks “What’s the use in hiding when you’re down?” before prompting “Pick yourself off the ground”. Previously categorized as post-hardcore, The Sleeping do not submit to genre trends on ‘The Big Deep’, instead focusing more on texture and atmosphere, making them more difficult to compartmentalize. In addition to a greater reliance on Chris Evans’ electronics, there is little outright screaming from Doug Robinson here. In fact, as the album progresses, Robinson’s distinctively raspy vocals fade into the background a little, allowing the band’s superior musicianship a chance to impress. If anything, there is more of an alternative rock vibe apparent and this allows the band to subtly explore waters previously uncharted. This is a positive in most cases throughout this relatively consistent LP, however some listeners may feel that ‘The Big Deep’ gets a little too one-paced at times. Loyal fans will welcome the quintet’s hallmark mid-album jazz break that is ‘The Phantom of Darker Clouds’, but will they feel similarly about the foray into unmemorable radio-rock that is the jangly ‘Oh, Gloria’?...full text |
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