The Sleeping Years 'We're Becoming Islands One By One'

For all the attention the Bon Iver album is now receiving, and TracksandGigs gave it a glowing review back in...March, there is nothing revolutionary about it. A man with an acoustic guitar sings songs that a lot of people enjoy listening to and lyrics that appear to be deeply personal manage to be universal at the same time. Justin Vernon has managed to do this very well, plus he has a great story to tell, and that is why he has made one of the albums of the year.

Ten years ago, Irish singer-songwriter Dale Grundle was making equally affecting music with his band the Catchers. Their debut album 'Mute' was a beautiful folk/pop record with ballads and breezy summer pop from a simple guitar/drums/keyboards formula and sung by Dale and his co-vocalist Alice Lemon. They received great reviews but were ignored by the public at large and adored by a loyal fanbase who were never able to quite explain why these apparently simple songs meant so much to them. Follow-up album 'Stooping To Fit', released in 1998, was more of the same but with a slightly harder edge and then that was it. They were gone. Grundle stopped making music completely until now, as he has returned with a new project 'The Sleeping Years', this is their debut album.

In his new band, Dale sings, plays guitar, bass and piano and he is joined by Michelle So on cello and Tom Page on drums. The sound is probably a little more folk and a little less pop than Catchers were. Many of the songs are set around acoustic guitar and vocals and sound more like a singer-songwriter than a band.

'We're Becoming Islands, One By One', it would seem to me, is a record about the passing of time and trying to keep a hold on memories and a feeling of 'home' that has become increasingly difficult in the world we live in. On 'Macosquin, Coleraine', a gorgeous hymn with strong vocals and well-timed handclaps, he sings "And they say they know you, that they grew with you, but you don’t know them at all". 'You and Me Against The World' manages to sound sad and defiant at the same time, with a jaunty melody and a world-weary vocal, in a parallel universe it is being played on the radio every day.

Grundle has crafted a fine album here. His voice is as strong as it ever was with Catchers, full of hope and clarity, his lyrics are superb and touching. It comes as no surprise to learn that a few of the songs were written after conversations with his Mother and Father, there is a feeling of yearning for home and for traditional values throughout the record. This is an old-fashioned record in many ways, the songs are delicate and whereas some artists would have been tempted to add a bit orchestral sound to these brush strokes, Grundle keeps things simple. 'We're Becoming Islands...' is a warm and rewarding listen. There are individual track highlights but it seems wrong to single them out from an album that fits together so well. If you enjoy good songwriting and great singing and melodies, this understated gem is an essential purchase.

Let's hope it gets the credit it deserves.

9.0

'We're Becoming Islands One By One' is out now on Rocket Girl.
for more info visit http://www.sleepingyears.com/