Album: Shleep
Artist: Robert Wyatt
Release Date: November 1997
Genre: Canterbury Progressive Rock
Length: 0:53:39
Label: Hannibal Records/Thirsty Ear
Producer: Alfreda Benge/Brian Eno/Robert Wyatt
1,001 Album Book: Yes
An album perfectly simulating a sleep state kingdom formed by Robert Wyatt...
After falling from a window and becoming a paraplegic, preventing him from continuing a career within a band, Robert Wyatt started a successful solo career. Shleep is the seventh album from his solo career and went on to be named record of the year from The Wire magazine out of London.
A leading founder in the Canterbury scene, Wyatt continued to further explore different, unchartered territory music hadn't yet been taken to, and Shleep is no different. The dreamlike trance the album puts you in from the very first song "Heaps of Sheeps" blesses the listener with an eerie, yet soothing synth, a more laid back percussive feel instead of utilizing an actual drum set, a driving bass and the mystical singing of Wyatt himself. The angelic background voices give you the mental image of an assent to an oasis inside your dreams, all while keeping the comfortability of the piano chords, and drone like sound of the synth in the background.
When "Heaps of Sheeps" transitions seamlessly into the following song, "The Duchess", it gives an aquatic jazz feel. The reserved sound of the saxophone gives a sense of safety in the song before the chaotic jazz elements shine through. The mix of all the different instruments sounds bizarre but somehow, along with Wyatt's less-than-stellar vocal style, all works to the benefit of the song. While "The Duchess" is more of an interesting song to listen to rather than a song to enjoy; the experimentation within, along with the various elements, provide an entertaining vibe to listen to if you can appreciate odd sounding music.
The soothing acoustic guitar and slight trumpet playing during the song "Maryan" is yet again, a completely different song than the previous songs. The charm of the trumpet playing could easily be a song in itself but eventually Wyatt comes in with various harmonies behind his voice. An electric guitar playing the same tones his voice sings gives an interesting effect that is utilized in various psychedelic jams ("Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" by the Beatles for example). Eventually a violin and a muffled guitar come in to play a solo together, continuing to provide the listener with surprises and ideas within Wyatt's complex artistic brain.
Does Wyatt have a great singing voice? Far from it. The way he sings would not be something most people would enjoy but somehow he makes it work with the feel of his music. The song "Free Will And Testament" heavily showcases this. In the beginning of the song, he sings with no other instruments for a brief second and it's almost painful to hear, but as soon as the instruments start to build on top of each other like layers on a cake, his sound changes to something that fits well with the style of the song.
One thing Wyatt cultivates well is the ability to keep the listener guessing. There is not one song on Shleep that falls into a realm of normalcy and predictability. The dreamlike trance he puts you in throughout the album is perfectly broadcast in each track, as dreams are far from predictable, and so is Wyatt. "Alien" for example, starts with the bass guitar and piano having a conversation behind Wyatt's vocals, but eventually the song leads into a metallic jungle beat transitioning into a restrained guitar solo. The bass provides a more significant part in the melody, then the piano eventually builds on top of it, and the list could go on and on. The sense of unpredictability keeps each song alluring and makes his disaster of a vocal performance beyond tolerable just to hear what will happen next.
With minimal lyrics, Wyatt definitely knows what his songs' strongest aspects are, that being the instrument quality. The focal point on the complexity, the tone and the genius behind the playing makes the album "sing" but without words.
Vocals aside, this album is incredible. The experimentation, surprises, and dazzling sounds the instruments provide showcase the genius of Wyatt and perfectly translates his chaotic thoughts into a fifty minute album. The only thing, which I have mentioned multiple times, is that his vocals are bad. He's either off-pitch, dragging or generally just not sounding great. When masked by the instruments and sounds behind him, Wyatt can have hints of sounding decent, but it isn't often enough to forget about the times he sounds bad. I would only recommend this album if you enjoy very experimental songs, organized chaos or enjoy jazz rock...
Favorite Songs: "Heaps of Sheeps", "Maryan", "Blues in Bob Minor"
Least Favorite Songs: "The Duchess" (Not a bad song, but more annoying than the rest due to the chaos within)
Production Quality:
Mix = 10/10
Innovation = 9/10
Songwriting Quality:
Arrangement = 9/10
Lyricism = 4/10 (Minimal meaningful lyrics)
Instrumentation Quality:
Vocal Timbre = 2/10 (I dislike his voice a lot, but there are glimpses of decency while masked by the instruments)
Instrumental Timbre = 10/10 (Amazing sounds)
Group Chemistry = 9/10 (An organized jam-band feel)
Overall Likability:
My Personal Rating = 4/10
Overall Rating: 7.1/10
Any confusion on how the rating is weighted/calculated, please look at my "About" page.
Remember this is all my opinion! Let me know if you agree, disagree or have any comments!
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