SLEEP WHALE
LITTLE BRITE (WESTERN VINYL)
Much like a handmade quilt, SLEEP WHALE's music is filled with collected scraps of material, beautiful patterns and meticulous crafting.
For guitarist/cellist Joel North and violinist/sequence programmer Bruce Blay, the melding of traditional live acoustic sounds of violin, cello, and guitar with vanguard electronic processing is the most natural thing in the world.
Woven throughout the infectious melodies of violin, cello, and guitar you'll find music boxes, shortwave radios, tape machines, water and much more.
The six songs on "Little Brite" conjure a universe whose ancient forbears include Steve Reich, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Eno's looping ambiences, Brit-folk guitarist Bert Jansch, gamelan ensembles and Hindustani hand percussion, however, the wall-to-wall beauty of the proceedings is anything but reverential ear candy.
Engaging, melodically rewarding, and sophisto-whimsical, SLEEP WHALE's cerebrally atmospheric marriage of the luddite and techno worlds makes for essential listening.