Letter of Recommendation: Sleep, ‘Dopesmoker’
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
* Obscure by mainstream standards, insofar as most people can't tell you what "doom" or "stoner" metal means. They're fairly well-known within the circle.
"Because I’m overeducated and insecure, I package my banal observations in semantic finery, so I feel a kinship with lines like ‘‘Earthling inserts to chalice the green cutchie/Groundation soul finds trust upon smoking hose,’’ which is a fancy way of saying ‘‘a guy smokes some weed.’’ The thesis of ‘‘Dopesmoker’’ may boil down to ‘‘smoke dope,’’ but first-time listeners should be forgiven for wondering if it’s actually an anthropological study of Qedarite tribes in the pre-Christian Sinai Peninsula."
Totes hilare. Any song with lyrics that complex and earth shattering, deserves a listen. Plus - metal. Ya. Rocking out to the epic tune now!
One of the few songs where the low quality makes it sound better.
[facepalm] The triumph of hype over signal analysis.
Drop out of life with bong in hand
Follow the Smoke toward the Riff filled Land
Drop out of life with bong in hand
Follow the Smoke toward the Riff filled Land
...
Creedsmen roll out across the dying dawn
Sacred Israel Holy Mountain Zion
Sun beams down on to the Sandsea reigns
Caravan migrates through deep sandscape
Lungsmen unearth the creed of Hasheeshian
Procession of the Weed-Priests to cross the sands
Desert Legion Smoke-Covenant is complete
...
Same vocalist and bassist as Sleep (though I think the bassist is different now and they've added a drummer).
I actually knew that as well. My sleepless brain isn't working today.
The definitions are fairly woolly, but generally speaking, to be classed as a single, a release can have up to three tracks, with each track up to 10 minutes and in total no longer than 30 minutes runtime.
Anything with three to five tracks, with a total run time of up to 25 or 30 minutes (depending on who you ask) can be classed as an EP.
Anything with a more than five tracks, and less than 30 minutes runtime is a mini-LP.
Anything with a longer runtime than this, is an LP, otherwise known as an album. Even if it only has one track.
The band "Thou" IMO is the best candidate for heirs to Sabbath, in that they are super literate. They have a specific doom/black metal sound, but borrow a lot from outside of metal.
Eh, that's an interesting (if very partial) view of heavy metal.
Always thought it sounded like Sleep decided to take up where Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf" left off.
That said, I've probably played both over a dozen times each. It truly is a journey and one that seldom gets tedious for some reason.
I will say, however, that the bootleg cover art by Arik Roper is probably my favorite of the bunch:
http://www.roadburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/sleep-jer...
I prefer it over the recent reissue cover, even though Roper did that as well.
They responded by basically keeping it the same, but cutting it up into smaller ~10 minute tracks, which the label again deemed unacceptable.
The band split as a result rather than change their work (which I give them mega props for). Years later fans managed to raise enough money to get it released in its original, unedited form which is the Dopesmoker we have now.
Unfortunately, coloured vinyl/picture discs sound pretty awful and degrade much more quickly. A novelty item only.
Although tbf unless you're a DJ any vinyl record is sort of a novelty item.
Listening to it from start to finish in one sitting is an experience. It's meditative.
The boss is old-fashioned as hell and thinks its unprofessional. He also thinks we have to wear a shirt and ties every day and that trade unions are communism.
I'm currently looking for other opportunities lol.
But that seems to be at an all time high.