 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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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"  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. 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.  Greetings, passers-by! Check out this announcement from our friend over at Fistful of DOOM. - Ed.  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. 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.  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.
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
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
FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: Oct. 2nd, 2020 Feat. Canyon, Adzes, Everson Poe, and Silence Equals Death10/2/2020 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
Every Friday, 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, July 17th, 2020: Väki, Eremit, Entry, and deathnoisefrequency
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Welcome!We provide thoughtful reviews of music that is heavy, gloomy...and loud enough to wake us from slumber. Written by a highfalutin peasantry. What are ye
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