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I Need Sleep – Welcome to Monsters EP

By Off Tempo   -  24 July 2009

welcome_to_monstersThe guys from I Need Sleep are out of their minds. If you’ve ever been to a show of theirs, you would know it. They’re absolutely amazing.

Half the songs on Welcome to Monsters are very clean, and if you know any better, you can easily tell that that each element used to compose these songs are individually tracked. The others seem like they were played live or at least each instrument wasn’t one generated from Garageband. Those songs are particularly great since they emit that raw feel conveyed during their live shows. The exception to that is that it’s not live but your ears can still get the same entertainment value that would be comprised of a straight up live show.

The song Super Strong an example of a very well produced song similar in production style as their first album OLDOLD is a great because each song was well produced and put together and still entertaining from the lyrical side of things. The problem with I Need Sleep’s record OLD was that it is too clean. One thing that may be bad about that factor is the listener might not understand how insanely fantastic it would be to see them live. An individual may think that I Need Sleep consists of only one committable individual rather than the entire insane asylum.

OLD a great record for the following reasons: It’s insane and it sounds clean but the kind of clean that can easily translate to a poorly behaved show where booze is obviously a key player. I’ve been listening to it extensively in the past few days, trying to figure out what it is that sounds so good. It has to do with how incredibly fun each song is and how ridiculous the subject matter of them are. From somewhat concerning songs like Anger Management to songs about pornography (and the various locations it may be hidden) or showering defines the tone of I Need Sleep.

It’s a great record for the following reasons: It’s insane and it sounds clean but the kind of clean that can easily translate to a poorly behaved show where booze is obviously a key player. I’ve been listening to it extensively in the past few days, trying to figure out what it is that sounds so good. It has to do with how incredibly fun each song is and how ridiculous the subject matter of them are. Overt songs about being into dirty things that we call “pornography” and is the general tone of the band, something that I feel to be similar to “Is that a boat? Let’s eat it”
Here’s some other great things about the EP: The songs seem nonsensical in the best way. It’s the chaos in songs like Mushy Mushy or Science Fires. Mushy Mushy’s in in 3/4 time featuring a chimpanzee’s voice it it . Chimpanzee’s are crazy!

Here’s some other great things about the Welcome to Monsters EP: The songs are sound nonsensical in the consistent and continuously entertaining way. It’s the chaotic instrumentation in songs like Mushy Mushy or Science Fire add to the  Mushy Mushy’s in in 3/4 time featuring a chimpanzee’s voice it it . Chimpanzee’s are crazy! What’s great about I Need Sleep is how well the band is able to translate their songs from a record to a live setting. They’re not so similar that they translate over so seamlessly but in a way that both are entertaining on their separate planes. One of the neatest things are when musicians can create a live set that can be translated from a well produced recording and make it just as – if not more – entertaining.

What’s most exciting about these five songs, is that if you’re really into I Need Sleep, you can likely expect an following album that will be more intense. You only ordered an appetizer… And it’s full of clowns and on fire…

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Don’t Come Home

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Mushy Mushy

Full EP Download: ineedsleep.bandcamp.com

I Need Sleep Myspace: myspace.com/ineedsleep