Sleepy Sun's miles, months, and days in the van are a tangible presence in Spine Hits, an LP of whimsy, restlessness, and urgency that leaps nimbly from landscape to landscape with ease, irreverence, and a catch-em-before-they-ain't changeling nature. For the most part, the sprawling Zeppelin-esque epics that defined much of Embrace and Fever have been traded in for a potent pop-compact framework. But never at the expense of the dodging, juking, and downshifting instincts that set their older long form pieces apart from a thousand other psychedelic drone warriors.
Recorded under the big skies of the California high desert with Queens of Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal alumnus Dave Catching, the jams on Spine Hits are alternatingly precision whittled and moodily muscular. Matt Holliman and Evan Reiss' guitars adroitly move from steamroller heavy to beachside airy and bouncing to interstellar- tinkering with texture and dynamics like never before. Vocalist Bret Constantino sings with a road-toughened, husky soul yowl and hush that occasionally betrays a society-weary frustration but more often hints at a way out. The rhythm section of drummer Brian Tice and Jack Allen is a super-cohesive, tricky, and tough-as-hell unit that keeps the Sleepy train on track as it teeters, creeps and runs wild across the land.
To any seasoned Sleepy Sun listener the new destinations will be surprises and revelations. "V.O.G." hints at a backstage conspiracy hatched on the Arctic Monkeys tour- buoyant and tight as a wire. "Boat Trip" moseys with a Lou Reed offhandedness- a postcard from Brian Wilson's forgotten vacation with the Velvets. "Still Breathing" is an elegiac nod to the band's early alignment with the Verve's dreamworlds.
For Sleepy spotters that came to love the band in its most massively rocking incarnations, there are the slow burns- "Stivey Pond" a sinister, stalking, and tender lurching beast bearing down on the subject of its obsession. And "Lioness (Requiem)" - a drifting, drowsy, late night lost in contemplation, dawn nowhere in sight.
Spine Hits isn't a portrait of a band in a moment. It's a box of snapshots spilled on the floor and blowing in the wind...left behind by a band that can't stop moving, but remembers what they left behind in a thousand colors.
Marina
Sleepy Sun Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in a land of healty minds
light, carry me high
float me down west of the lazy river
before these heavy stones sink our soaring heads
breathless morning put your head in my hands
night grows stele by the break of the dawn
take me where you're eyes are always blooming
the golden leaves, the red pine trees
what dreams may come
i wonder where we'll wind up when its over
falling like the stars right out of heavens mouth
breatless morning put your head in my hands
night grows stale by the break of the dawn
fever, fever, fever, flood the door
shiny, shiny, shiny, crack of light
outside flushs white
warmer tones than before outline flushes free
free of light, free of me
The lyrics to Sleepy Sun's "Marina" are painted with dreamy landscapes that are almost mythical in essence. The song invites the listener to join in a journey of awakening, where the singer asks to be woken up on "the softer side of heaven." The opening of the song immediately sets the tone for a wistful, otherworldly experience as it calls out for a place "in a land of healthy minds."
The second verse continues with an intense desire to escape from the current state of being. The singer asks to be "carried high" and "floated down west of the lazy river," in order to flee from the heavy burden of existence that threatens to weigh them down. This idea is reinforced through the metaphor of "heavy stones" sinking "our soaring heads." There is an urgency in the desire to escape and find a space where breathing is easier.
The bridge of the song provides a glimmer of hope, asking to be taken to a place where "eyes are always blooming," a space filled with possibility and vibrance. However, the question remains about where they will wind up when it's all over. The final verse brings to mind the idea of falling like stars out of heaven's mouth. The song provides a sense of release from the mundane aspects of our world, offering a chance at something bigger, something that is both unknown and promised.
Line by Line Meaning
wake me on the softer side of heaven
Please wake me up gently in a peaceful state of mind
in a land of healthy minds
In a place where everyone is sound in mind and body
light, carry me high
Lift me up with your positive energy
float me down west of the lazy river
Take me to a place where I can relax and be carefree
before these heavy stones sink our soaring heads
Before we get bogged down by life's difficulties and lose our optimistic outlook
breathless morning put your head in my hands
Surrender yourself to the tranquil start of a new day
night grows stale by the break of the dawn
The night becomes less exciting as daylight approaches
take me where your eyes are always blooming
Take me to a place where everything is beautiful and alive
the golden leaves, the red pine trees
Nature's colors are vivid and striking
what dreams may come
What possibilities lie ahead?
i wonder where we'll wind up when it's over
I ponder what the outcome of our lives will be
falling like the stars right out of heaven's mouth
We'll end up wherever fate takes us
fever, fever, fever, flood the door
Intense emotions are overwhelming us
shiny, shiny, shiny, crack of light
We catch a glimmer of hope in a dark situation
outside flushes white
The environment outside changes and becomes blank and featureless
warmer tones than before outline flushes free
Warmer colors arise and take shape around us
free of light, free of me
We are liberated from our burdens and free to fly away
Contributed by Nora H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ma Ma
wake me on the softer side of heaven
in a land of healty minds
light, carry me high
float me down west of the lazy river
before these heavy stones sink our soaring heads
breathless morning put your head in my hands
night grows stele by the break of the dawn
take me where you're eyes are always blooming
the golden leaves, the red pine trees
what dreams may come
i wonder where we'll wind up when its over
falling like the stars right out of heavens mouth
breatless morning…
avedic
i haven't come across a band that's gotten me this excited over sound in a long long time. i'm a devoted fan forever. it's like kyuss, zepplin, and MGMT had a music baby. love it.
Aashni
I love psychedelic music where the drums sound very prominent, especially the cymbals and snare.
Diana Hernandez
I'm so in love with their sound. I'm so thrilled that someone in our time has found this sound. My god.
Ukiyomis
You'd be surprised of the number of artists/bands that have incredible sounds and are from our generation, it's just luck that's not always in their side or, they just dont want to make it big. Musical geniuses are all over the place
Birdy
esta cancion me desbloqueo un recuerdo de mi yo de hace unos años 2016 y de verdad amo haberme encontrado con bandas tan psicodelicas!!!
fasthandsmalone
I have been jamming this song for a decade, easily. Might be my favorite song ever. Cant describe in word what is makes me feel... The Bongo/drum sequence just sends me...
Himani Malhotra
I can't Believe BANDS LIKE THIS STILL EXIST, at first i thought they were core 60's band, But WOW, they opened my mind right away :D
DunDamage
this song has so many different feelings but then its resolved by the verse, for example the rock, then harmonica...so cool man,, just dig it!
DzedajO
If this was made in 1967, this would be major hit. Brilliant song, thank God for new psychedelic rock bands. Peace!
Rafael Freitas
Eu viajo demais ouvindo essa música. Nota 1000!