''Sleeping Star'' is the second album by the English musician
Epic Soundtracks
Epic Soundtracks was the stage name of the British musician Kevin Paul Godfrey (23 March 1959 – 6 November 1997). Born in Croydon, Surrey, he was brought up in Solihull, West Midlands with his brother Adrian Nicholas Godfrey, who was known a ...
, released in 1994.
Soundtracks supported the album by touring with
Evan Dando
Evan Griffith Dando (born March 4, 1967) is an American musician and the frontman of the rock band the Lemonheads. He has also embarked on a solo career and collaborated on songs with various artists. In December 2015, Dando was inducted into t ...
.
Production
''Sleeping Star'' was produced by Soundtracks, who had long wanted to move from the noisy rock of his previous bands to a more classical pop sound.
Luke Haines
Luke Michael Haines (born 7 October 1967) is an English musician, songwriter and author. He has recorded music under various names and with various bands, including The Auteurs, Baader Meinhof and Black Box Recorder.
Career
''New Wave''
Ha ...
contributed to the album, as did
Kim Gordon
Kim Althea Gordon (born April 28, 1953) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known as the bassist, guitarist, and vocalist of alternative rock band Sonic Youth. Born in Rochester, New York, she was raised in Los Angeles, Califor ...
,
J Mascis
Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. (born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist a ...
,
Will Pepper, and
Henry Olsen.
[
]
Critical reception
''Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'' wrote that the album "often approximates the warm, jamming feel of a vintage Band record—an impressive feat when you consider how much of the project is essentially solo." ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' thought that Soundtracks "continues to stake out a territory where Brian Wilson, Laura Nyro, Brill Building pop, and ''Hunky Dory''-era David Bowie converge."Calgary Herald
The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network.
History
''The C ...
'' deemed the album "an unassuming gem," writing that "Soundtracks' songs wear hope, sadness and longing in many colors."The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' determined that "Waiting for the Train" "gets awkwardly overwrought, but the album's most effective tunes employ a slow-burn style that rewards repeated listenings." ''Stereo Review
''Sound & Vision'' was an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as ''Stereo Review' ...
'' advised: "Think a less sodden Alex Chilton, or a post-modern version of Bread, and you've got it." ''The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' praised the "gorgeous pop feel and emotional tug" of the songs.AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
wrote that "'Emily May' has a rolling piano line and up-tempo rhythm that makes it the highlight of the disc."
Track listing
Personnel
*Epic Soundtracks - acoustic and electric guitar, bass, drums, piano, organ, lead and backing vocals
*Will Pepper - bass; guitar on "Emily Man (You Make Me Feel So Fine)"
*Harry Georgeson - middle 8 guitar solo on "Something New Under the Sun", guitar on "I Believe"
*Anthony Thistlethwaite
Anthony "Anto" Thistlethwaite (born 31 August 1955, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, England) is an English-born Irish multi-instrumentalist best known as a founding member (with guitarist Mike Scott) of the folk rock group, The Waterboys and lat ...
- saxophone on "There's Been a Change" and "Waiting for the Train"
*Julia Palmer - cello on "Hear the Whistle Blow" and "I'll Sing a Hymn"
*Anne Ahem - violin on "Hear The Whistle Blow" and "I'll Sing a Hymn"
*Asyam Kael - backing vocals
*Claudio Pinto - hand claps on "Emily Man (You Make Me Feel So Fine)"
*Henry Olsen - string arrangements
References
{{Authority control
Epic Soundtracks albums
1994 albums
Bar/None Records albums