Electric President sing you a sweet indietronic lullaby on their sophomore full-length, Sleep Well. Ben Cooper (a.k.a. Radical Face – QRO album review) and Alex Kane made a name for themselves in 2006 with their self-titled debut, Electric President, as one of the few American acts on Berlin’s electronic Morr imprint. And now they’re back with Sleep Well, a thoroughly nighttime record bound to sing to you in you dreams.
Much more of a ‘feel’ record than just a collection of tracks, the various pieces on Sleep wash into one another effortlessly, from the restrained little twinkle of “Monsters” at the start to the catchy and disco-fun finish of “When It’s Back” to close things out (there are even a pair of instrumental bridges, “Adrift In Space, Or Whatever” and “It’s Like a Heartbeat, Only It Isn’t”, thrown in for good measure). In many ways, the variety is found within the songs, as they often get bigger and bolder nearer their end, such as on “Monsters”, “We Will Walk Through Walls”, “Graves and the Infinite Arm”, “Lullaby”, and “When It’s Back”. However, the indietronic styles do range from the darker “Bright Mouths” and “Graves” to the brighter “Ether” and “Lullaby”.
While “Lullaby” doesn’t quite live up to its name, that’s only because there are tracks that serve that purpose even better on Sleep. “Bright Mouths” echoes right into your soul, while “When It’s Back” serves great as a finisher. The most interesting, however, might be the bass line technique on “All the Bones”, laid beneath Electric President’s indietronic style, or perhaps the tech-friendly beats of “Robophobia”, despite its name (the piece is reminiscent of the robot-obsessed days of Say Hi To Your Mom).
More than anything this side of the white noise of nature, indietronica has always had a close relationship with the soothing sounds of sleep – witness The Postal Service’s “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” and “Sleeping In”. While Sleep Well doesn’t quite bed down to those high levels, it’s a strong entry in the sweet sounds of slumber.
