Astralwerks
2003
Lovers
About This Album
Like a jukebox loaded with 35 years worth of trippy pop moments, the Sleepy Jackson's debut album Lovers runs the gamut of quirky-yet-catchy music. There's the lush, almost syrupy-sweet "Good Dancers," which, with its melting strings and cryptically affecting lines like "My heart is stronger than you are," proves that the band's comparisons to the Flaming Lips are well-earned; the piano-driven pop of "This Day," which recalls everyone from Badly Drawn Boy to Al Stewart; and "Acid in My Heart," a pretty, off-kilter ballad reminiscent of some of Robyn Hitchcock's quieter moments. While Luke Steele's influences show through on all of Lovers' tracks, somehow the album avoids sounding totally derivative; instead, it just reveals Steele as a pop chameleon and an expert at pastiche. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. The Soft Boys-channeling single "Vampire Racecourse" is Lovers' best song, while the lovely "Come to This" is California country-rock meets George Harrison. (The shiny, trippy sound of Harrison's solo work is another major influence on the Sleepy Jackson's music). Likewise, "Rain Falls for Wind" is a convincing facsimile of moody '80s college rock à la the Church.
Track List (try tracks 1,2 and 8)

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