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Sleeping Village Submission Guidelines: What to Send and Where to Send It

1/1/2023

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Welcome! If you want your music reviewed at Ye Olde Sleeping Village, you're in the right place. The following is a brief breakdown of what you need to send and where you need to send it.

1. The music. 
You need to give us the music. Submissions without music will be fed to the Bottomless Maw. Here’s what works best for us: downloadable MP3s with accurate metadata, or Bandcamp yum codes. For the love of all that is holy, do not send Spotify or Youtube links.     

2. Images.
The album cover. We don't usually include band photos in reviews, but if you want us to see how fuckin' cool you look, feel free to send them.

3. Info about your band. 
This is admittedly the most subjective of the elements required. In short, briefly introduce your band, influences, and anything else you feel is essential to your band’s identity. It is also incredibly helpful for you to list location, band members, and their respective instrument(s). For more info about writing an effective bio, look here.

4. Various release info.
Label name and pre-order info, if applicable. Release date is always applicable, so make sure to include that. The Bottomless Maw gleefully consumes submissions without release info.

5. Social media.
Links to social media accounts. We will tag your band profusely.

Once you've compiled this info, send it in an email to [email protected] with a subject line that includes your band name. Do not send via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Your submission will be immediately thrown into the promo pit's Bottomless Maw and never seen again.
If you're looking to maximize the impact of a review, all this will be sent out a month ahead of your release. That said, we often review stuff that's been out for a while, so please feel to send regardless.


​Lastly, if you are uncertain about anything in regards to the submission process, please ask! We're always happy to help.​
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RAMONES: 45 Years Later

7/12/2021

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Written by: Blackie Skulless

Earlier this year, the debut self-titled Ramones album celebrated its forty-fifth birthday, and for many this was a monumental turn in the punk rock movement. Prior to Johnny and co., you had bands such as New York Dolls, The Stooges, and Death (Michigan) laying down the prototypes for this movement. Some will see them as the actual pioneers, and many will see Ramones dropping in 1976 as the actual start. This is a heavily discussed topic that is obviously important, but today, rather than argue about that, I’d like to take a retrospective look at this infamous debut on its own.

The biggest selling point that the Ramones seemed to have was their ability to use the utmost simplest of riffs and song structure, yet manage to get a clear message across to bring listeners back for repeat visits. This is clearly evident on the debut, and considering that the album opener “Blitzkrieg Bop” is still heavily referenced today, I’d say this idea holds up. (Side note; anybody remember this song being in the Jimmy Neutron movie?). This structure basically paints itself on the entire twenty-nine minute runtime of the album, allowing it to work as the perfect format for many a punk and hardcore band to come.


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REFUSING TO LET GO: A Review of Avril Lavigne's "Let Go" in 15 Parts (​5/15)

6/7/2021

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We do a lot of ridiculous stuff here at the Sleeping Village--that, I can not deny. However, this mammothian effort on the part of Ancient Hand serves as a response to said frivolity. Nothing--and I mean nothing--is more serious than dissecting, in painstaking detail, the seminal debut of early 2000's pop-punk monarch Avril Lavinge. This, dear readers, is a magnum opus. Also, for the haters: Avril is metal as fuck. There. I said it.

The miniseries before ye is divided into a glorious fifteen parts. After a long hiatus, today marks the fifth installment: 
"I'm With You." If you missed our introductory statement, check it out here! - Ed.

"I'M WITH YOU"
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Written by: Ancient Hand 

Balladry is an art form long explored, revered, and judged by humans. The act of composing a ballad is a long-documented and discussed one, with many people seeing William Shakespeare as a popularizer, pushing balladry to the forefront of human entertainment. While he certainly did write entertaining ballads that have withstood the test of time, his reputation has stretched beyond the intent of his work. While there are moments of genius relating to the communicability found in his catalog--most notably Romeo and Juliet--this can give us an interesting insight into responses to the plague during his time. His works were created to simply be entertainment, and this should be kept in mind when we run the risk of pushing an artist that only seeks to entertain us into a spotlight deemed for legends.

You may be asking yourself, “Uh… did this guy just say don’t elevate people too high, but he’s calling Avril Lavigne’s Let Go one of the single most important pieces of art ever created?” And to that, I would say: yes! You are exactly right! Because while we run the risk of idolizing people that are undeserving of being placed on a pedestal so high we can’t see the top, Let Go is being examined, in the context of this long-winded review, as a piece of art to be studied and applied to the world around us, not as a person we should be praising and considering the savior of art and integrity.


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A (Free!) Band Bio Template

5/10/2021

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Here's a common (and very legitimate) question: “what goes in my press kit band bio?” We here at the Sleeping Village enjoy receiving a solid bio, but, beyond that, we enjoy when bands handling their own PR maximize their potential. As such, here's a template and some advice on how to construct a band bio that does its job. A .doc and PDF download are available at the bottom!

​In short, the band bio serves two major purposes:

A. introducing your band in a succinct but curiosity-inducing fashion, and

B. providing useful and necessary info to the reviewer/label/distributor/PR firm/etc.
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Fistful of DOOM Vol. 100 Giveaway Announcement

3/9/2021

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Greetings, passers-by! Check out this announcement from our friend over at Fistful of DOOM. - Ed.

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Ladies and Gentlemen (and I use the term loosely) it is with great pleasure that I (Uncle Jameson, host of the Fistful of DOOM show) announce the 100th Volume of Fistful of DOOM.  To commemorate this monumental occasion I will be doing a flurry of giveaways through the show’s social media pages in the days leading up to the release of Volume 100.  The giveaways will begin on March 11th and will conclude on March 16th.

I am guessing that you’d like to know a little more about the giveaways?  Well, there will be oodles and oodles of albums to give away in a handful of formats including vinyl.  Bandcamp codes?  Yes.  Compact discs?  Yes.  There are also a couple of t-shirt/album bundles.  What more could you ask for?  How 'bout a list of the bands and labels involved:

Whitecrone, Xtelyon Records, Black Spirit Crown, Jenn Taiga, Saints and Winos, Dungeon Weed, KOOK, Glory or Death Records, Ultra Void, MMD Records, Olde, Haq123, Ripple Music, Problem With Dragons, AntiMozdeBeast, Mandrone Records, The Age of Truth, 20 Watt Tombstone, TDW. 


Massive thank you to each and every one of these bands and labels for contributing to this giveaway.  I am humbled by your generosity and eternally grateful.  


Finally, let me extend my deep appreciation to anyone and everyone that has taken the time to listen, like and share the show over the past five years.  Your support is greatly appreciated.  


Fistful of DOOM can be found:
Twitter
Facebook
​Instagram
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ON THE HORIZON: Domkraft - Seeds

2/21/2021

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Welcome to ON THE HORIZON, our relentlessly infrequent feature wherein we discuss upcoming albums that have caught our sleep-encrusted eyes. Us Villagers are always on the lookout for the next best thing to wake us from slumber. On the docket today: the forthcoming full-length from Sleeping Village favorites Domkraft.

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Written by: The Administrator

Look how easily we cast aside the tired present and gaze longingly into the future! I, for one, am getting mighty excited about the music that awaits just beyond the horizon, and Domkraft's forthcoming third effort is certainly the cause of some of said excitement.

Ah, Domkraft. Revel in their name. Back in the primordial days of this here blog, their stellar Flood found high ground on our 2018 Albums of the Year list, landing at a respectable #4 for that year. Presenting a remarkably well-executed blend of fuzz-worshiping doom and psychedelic wanderings, Flood remains one of my favorite doom records of the last five years. Their follow-up, Slow Fidelity​, somehow missed our rudimentary radar and thus missed year-end shenanigans, but it provides a similarly strong showing, leaning a little further than its predecessor into the ethereal realms. Needless to say, we were quite pleased to see evidence of a forthcoming third effort land heftily in the midst of our promo pit. Seeds will be released at the end of April, and the first single, "Dawn of Man," is available now for yer listening pleasure.


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NEW PLAYLIST: Metal Inspired by STAR WARS

2/16/2021

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Chuba, h'chu apenkee! If you're a fan of:

A. STAR WARS, and
B. various metal genres under the twin suns,

his is undoubtedly the playlist you are looking for. Sonically disjointed, but thematically solid. No one asked for this, but we're giving it to you anyways.


This playlist will be ever-evolving as we discover new Star Wars affiliated tunes, so throw us a follow!

If you have a song to suggest, let us know in the comments and we shall add in short order.
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FRESH MEAT FRIDAY - Bandcamp Day Feb. 4th, 2021 Feat.  Aisteach, Space Caravan, Everson Poe, & Non Serviam

2/5/2021

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On (regrettably infrequent) Fridays, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling gates, stuffed to the brim with our sustenance for the following week. Today is the day we must offload all this week's new and noteworthy music, and so, in the process, we thought it would be worthwhile to share some of our choice picks from this veritable mass of fresh meat. This is what we’ll be--and have been--listening to this week at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! 

As today is Bandcamp Friday, that sweet 15% cut will be directed back to artists. In other words: today is the day to support 'em!

​On the docket for today, Feb. 4th, 2020:
 
Aisteach, Space Caravan, Everson Poe, & Non Serviam

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Aisteach - Polytron​-​ed
​(Independently Released)
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Let's fire things off with a weird one, shall we? Taking its moniker from the Irish terminology for  "peculiar, queer, strange, unusual," 
Aisteach presents 
industrial noise at its most disturbing. To quote my comment over of Ye Olde Bandcamp: "Polytron-ed is a capital-E Experience. This abrasive industrial / grind / noise monstrosity feels simultaneously organic and mechanical, pulsing and pounding with energy." This is an EP that is difficult to listen to by benefit of its overtly creepy vocal samples and its generally oppressive atmosphere, but the sheer inaccessibility is all part of the intrigue. Polytron​-​ed is inventive in a way that we Villagers seldom encounter, and, as such, I'm super excited to hear whatever comes next.  

Find it on bandcamp here!

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Space Caravan - Space Caravan
​(Independently Released)

It simply wouldn't be a Friday here at the Sleeping Village 
without a lil' stoner rock. Space Caravan, a crew of riff-worshipers straight outta 
Phoenixville PA, don't deliver the most innovative goods, but the goods themselves are...well, quite good! There's a definite Orange Goblin-by-way-of-Cathedral aesthetic, topped off with a delicious cosmic + biker vibe. The grooves and riffs contained herein are potent as ye might expect, and the vocals, while perhaps a little gruff and unpolished for everyone's liking, suit the rough 'n' tumble feel of the tunes quite well. If you're looking to sample, I recommend the riff-tastic "Black Kraken" as a general overview of what these hard rockin' fellas have to offer.

Find it on bandcamp here!


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FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: Oct. 9th, 2020 Feat. Coastlands, Yatra, Legendarium, Slow Draw, & Dangerous Times for the Dead

10/3/2020

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On (most) Fridays, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling gates, stuffed to the brim with our sustenance for the following week. Today is the day we must offload all this new music, and so, in the process, we thought it would be worthwhile to share some of our choice picks from this veritable mass of fresh meat. This is what we’ll be--and have been--listening to today here at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! 

On the docket for today, Oct. 9th, 2020:
 Coastlands, Yatra, Legendarium, Slow Draw & 
Dangerous Times for the Dead

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Coastlands - Death
(
Translation Loss Records) 

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The common concern with instrumental music is that an album will inevitably run out of things to say, and thus become... boring. That certainly isn't the case with the latest from Coastlands, an impressive post-metal/post-hardcore outfit from Portland OR. Death is a welcoming yet harrowing ride--similar, in ways, to Insect Ark's album from early this year, albeit a little more varied in the atmosphere department. In that sense, the constant shifting approach of Russian Circles might be a more apt comparison.. This is music designed to envelope the audience and carry them away on the emotive and sonic current, and it does so with apparent ease. If you're looking for an immersive album, this week's offering doesn't get better than Death.

​Find it on bandcamp here!


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Yatra - All Is Lost
(Grimoire Records)

Yatra is, dear readers, as Yatra 
does. For those of you not in the know, Yatra does good doom at a rate that is becoming a tad alarming--indeed, this is their second full-length of the year. This crew is characterized by an utterly sasquatchian tone and a penchant for throat-mangling vocal delivery, and All Is Lost is another feather in their increasingly flamboyant cap. That said, I do take minor issue with the monotony--by the back half, I found myself wishing for a little additional intrigue to shake things up. The established formula works well, but sometimes formulas become traps, and I'm excited to see Yatra branch outward and upward with their next release (which should be out in a couple months, assuming they keep up at the same impressive rate.)

​Find it on bandcamp here!



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FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: Oct. 2nd, 2020 Feat. Canyon, Adzes, Everson Poe, and Silence Equals Death

10/2/2020

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On (increasingly infrequent) Fridays, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling gates, stuffed to the brim with our sustenance for the following week. Today is the day we must offload all this new music, and so, in the process, we thought it would be worthwhile to share some of our choice picks from this veritable mass of fresh meat. This is what we’ll be--and have been--listening to today here at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! As today is Bandcamp Friday, that sweet 15% cut will be directed back to artists. In other words: today is the day to support 'em!

On the docket for today, Oct. 2nd, 2020:
Canyon, Adzes, Everson Poe,  and Silence Equals Death

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Canyon - Insane
(Independently Released)


Promo material describes this single from Melbourne's Canyon as "chompy and replayable," and, loathe as I am to steal adjectives, I'm not sure I can describe Insane more accurately. There's a fun lil' alt-metal bounce at play, with just enough teeth-gritting aggression, foot-stomping momentum, and grungy angst to set it apart.

​In an odd way, 
Insane feels caught in the amber of 90's headbang fodder...but yet brings a maturity to the table that I wasn't expecting given the initial force of riffage. Definitely check this track out if you're in the mood for some forthright grit.


​Find it on bandcamp here!

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Adzes ​- Microclimates
(Independently Released)

If you're no stranger to the Sleeping Village, you're (hopefully!) no stranger to Adzes, who absolutely crushed it with No One Wants To Speak About It earlier this year. Microclimates, in comparison, occupies a whole 'nother musical environ. Featuring two covers--Gillian Welch's "Revelator" and Tom Petty's "Wildflowers"--this 2-track adds a few musicians and takes the sludgy tone down a notch. Both covers are, simply put, stellar. 
Ana Wright's killer vocals are a real star--they carry themselves with an understated emotive edge that fits so damn well with the tracks in question. In short? I'm practically clamoring for more stuff like this. Highly recommended!
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Find it on bandcamp here!


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  • REVIEWS & PREMIERES
  • ARCHIVES
    • OLDE REVIEWS
    • OLDE INTERVIEWS
    • OLDE FEATURES
    • OLDE PREMIERES
  • SUBMIT FOR REVIEW!