John Harries and Lisa Busby, a boy from Reading and a girl from Paisley, are Sleeps In Oysters. It’s a name that wholly encapsulates their sound, too sweet to be termed ‘eclectic’ and too diverse to warrant the oft-abused folktronica tag.
The obvious comparisons should be dealt with first. Twitches of Psapp’s melodic alchemy and Tunng’s folk-based meanderings weave their way through the seven songs, though there isn’t a particular moment that prompts the comparison, merely the general sentiment that pervades the record. Indeed, it’s the sentimentality that is paramount, from the hand-constructed packaging which consists of paper sleeves, picture postcards and a fabric pouch, through to Busby’ luscious vocal.
Like the delicately embroidered front panel, each song suggests a meticulous, loving hand has been involved in its creation. It’s the ideal soundtrack to catching butterflies on a warm summer’ day; a precocious warmth that you can’t help but smile along to.
Fortunately, no moment is ever too sickly to cause embarrassment – there are enough motifs acquired from the Richard D. James school of drill’n’bass, and other curious electronic remnants to assure the listener that this is decidedly left-of-centre stuff. As the album moves towards its coda, the curious noises hinted at in the first few minutes of opener ‘Moths’ Wings For Lisa’ appear again, building in intensity to become far more unusual than anyone could have expected.
For those who miss out on the 250 limited copies of the release, there is an instructional video which shows you how to make your own packaging for the album.
[The packaging was reviewed separately in the PDF/print version of Issue 21.]
Alexandra Savvides
