Sleepyard is a psychedelic band from Norway formed by Oliver and Svein Kersbergen in 1994. After a couple of demo cassette releases, the band released the minialbum “Intersounds” on their own label Orange music in 1998. This was hailed as one of the first post rock albums from Norway. Sleepyard released “The runner” on trust me records (2003) and contributed music to the movie Monsterthursday Next album "Easy Tensions" saw the band reaching for a more mellow and richer sound. Their multi tracked vocal harmonies reminded critics of the Beach Boys and drew comparisons to the psychedelic sound of Smile. "Future lines" from 2009 saw the band move into a more jazzy and ambient direction. It featured contributions from Pianist

Mike Garson Michael David Garson (born July 29, 1945) is an American pianist, who has worked with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, St. Vincent, Duran Duran, Free Flight, The Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur, CSS and The Pretty Reckless. Early caree ...

and Sonic Boom from

Spacemen 3 Spacemen 3 were an English rock band, formed in 1982 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Peter Kember and Jason Pierce, known respectively under their pseudonyms Sonic Boom and J Spaceman. Their music is known for its brand of "trance-like neo-psyched ...

In 2010 the band collaborated with Jim Shepherd of The Jasmine Minks and released a 7" Down Tangerine Road on his Oatcake Records. Oliver produced and co wrote a couple of tracks with Judy Dyble former vocalist for

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English British folk rock, folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson (musician), Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Marti ...

during 2012. "Blue barracuda" was included on

Füxa Füxa (pronounced like the color fuchsia) is an American rock band. Füxa was formed in Detroit in 1994 by musicians Randall Nieman (formerly of Windy & Carl) and Ryan Anderson (formerly of Asha Vida and later to join Delta Waves). Band memb ...

Dirty D album which came out on

Rocket Girl Rocket Girl is a London-based independent record label. It has released records by Robin Guthrie, Pieter Nooten, God Is an Astronaut, Ulrich Schnauss, A Place to Bury Strangers, Bell Gardens (band), Bell Gardens among others, including many a ...

in summer 2013. The rest did end up on the next Sleepyard album, Black Sails. A new version of "Blue Barracuda" was released on 2018 album Winter Crickets. "Wall Of Confusion" was a split cassette release with Devita on Lithuanian label Agharta Tapes. It featured Sleepyard with experimental noise recordings in tribute to composer

Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...

. Sleepyard released Black Sails on US label Global Recording Artists in March 2014. This album featured special guest musicians Judy Dyble,

Geoff Leigh Geoff Leigh (born 5 October 1945) is an English jazz and progressive rock musician, playing primarily soprano saxophone and flute. He was a member of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow and founded several bands himself, including Red Balu ...

and

. Dawn Smithson known from experimental rock band Jessamine,

Nik Turner Nicholas Robert Turner (26 August 1940 – 10 November 2022) was an English musician best known as a member of space rock pioneers Hawkwind. Turner played saxophone and flute, as well as being a vocalist and composer. While with Hawkwind, Tur ...

formerly of space rock band

Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...

on a version of

The Seeds The Seeds are an American psychedelic garage rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965, best known for their highest-charting single " Pushin' Too Hard". The band's classic lineup featured frontman Sky Saxon, guitarist Jan Sava ...

Chocolate River. Sleepyard signed with Norwegian label Apollon Records and released the album Head Values in 2022. The album featured Sandy Dedrick from the 60`s sunshine pop band The Free Design on vocals for the track "Falling In Love". Other guest musicians count Katje Janisch, Mark Refoy known from

and

Spiritualized Spiritualized (stylised as Spiritualized®) are an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Jason Pierce (often known as J. Spaceman), formerly of Spacemen 3. After several line up-changes, in 1999, the band centred on Pie ...

and

Kjetil Manheim Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in Oslo in 1984. They were one of the pioneers of the Norwegian black metal scene, and their music has profoundly influenced the black metal genre. Mayhem's early career was marked by several contro ...

formerly of the Norwegian Black Metal band Mayhem. This album showed the band going in a more ambient and electronic direction. Following year saw the release of the digital single "Soul Cruiser" which featured

Suzanne Ciani Suzanne Ciani (; born June 4, 1946) is an American musician, sound designer, composer, and record label executive who found early success in the 1970s, with her electronic music and sound effects for films and television commercials. Her career h ...

as a guest musician.

Discography

*Intersounds (1999) Orange Music *The Runner (2003) Trust Me Records *Easy Tensions (2006) Orange Music *Future Lines (2009) Orange Music *Down Tangerine Road 7" (2010) Oatcake Records * Wall Of Confusion (Split release with Devita) (2013) Agharta Tapes * Black Sails (2014) Global Recording Artists * Winter Crickets (2018) Global Recording Artists * Head Values (2022) Apollon Records * Soul Cruiser (2023) (Digital Single) Apollon Records

References

Notes

Sources

CCAPTrust Me RecordsJudy Dyble

Agharta Tapes

External links

Sleepyard official website
Norwegian psychedelic rock music groups Musical groups established in 1994 1994 establishments in Norway Musical groups from Norway with local place of origin missing {{Rock-band-stub