Album Review: Sleepy Kitty – Projection Room
2 min read
Sleepy Kitty is a band from St Louis comprised of Paige Brubeck and Evan Sult. They’ve been voted Best Indie Band for three years in a row by St. Louis Riverfront Times readers. They’ve opened for the Dresden Dolls and Chuck Berry. And after listening to their new album Projection Room, I can see why. Projection Room is an über-fun, high energy blend of dirty guitars, dreamy vocals and quirky themes. For example, one song asks the question What Are You Gonna Do When You Find Bigfoot? while Batman: The Ride, reputedly a crowd favourite in St. Louis, is an ode to waiting in line. These songs are actually the highlights of the album, showing that it can pay to go with unusual ideas.
Compared to their last album Infinity City, this album is much easier listening, better produced and a bit less show-tuney. While on their first album Sleepy Kitty were still testing the water, on Projection Room they have dived into the water with aplomb.
For a taster of what this band is all about, listen to Don’t You Start. With its heavy reverb, layered vocals and great drumming it is a great track, although not lyrically as interesting as some of the other songs on the album.
Sleepy Kitty could easily churn out 12 Don’t You Starts and call it an album, however they choose instead to experiment greatly with different styles and tones. I love the dark, sinister edge to Nothing = You, and the twang and cinematic feel of Western Antagonist Reflection. The Hoax is a wonderful, climactic number.
This is a true album, not just a collection of songs. Songs frequently flow into each other, Beatles style, and there are a couple of interesting little tidbits thrown in there that make the album an experience in itself. For example there is K-I-T-T-Y, on which Sult plays a cheerleading drumbeat and sings “K-I-T-T-Y” over the top of it. Brubeck’s response is an emphatic “Oh I love it!” which I feel symbolises the band’s general attitude towards making music. They just “love it.” And it shows.
