Run-of-the-mill rock bands—they're everywhere, including my CD stacks. It's a wonder there's any room in that mill to run. Run-of-the-mill rock bands (ROTMRB) invariably consist of “nice guys” whose ambition surpasses their talent and creativity. Run-of-the-mill itself is a cliché I would ordinarily avoid. But I think it's apt to employ it in this week's column because mediocre bands somehow inspire mediocre writing.
I don't mean to single out Sleepless Me or be excessively harsh on them here, but they're definitely a ROTMRB. They won Best Alternative Band at the 2007 Orange County Music Awards (congrats, fellas!), but I don't hear anything “alternative” or exceptional about their music, judging from the three-track 2 EP under review here.
Vocalist Cory Joseph emotes tremulously like a lot of other white guys, but instead of soul, we get a whine that swan-dives somewhere between Bono and Thom Yorke, two of the most emulated singers in the world. Sleepless Me strive for a dashing sort of drama with their arrangements, but their moves are too familiar and pedestrian to generate excitement in anyone who has listened to rock for more than a couple of years.
Neither heavy nor fey, neither exceptionally melodic nor texturally interesting, neither extraordinarily smart nor terribly stoopid, this trio's music is run-of-the-mill rock—of which we're inundated, to the point where it's as innocuous as Muzak™. Ultimately, sadly, it's as mediocre as this review.
For more information, visit www.sleeplessme.com and www.myspace.com/sleeplessme.
Sleepless Me's CD-release party is at the Gypsy Lounge, 23600 Rockfield Blvd., Ste. 3A, Lake Forest, (949) 206-9990; www.thegypsylounge.com. Fri., 10 p.m. $10. 21+.
Attention Orange County/Long Beach musicians and bands! Mail your music, along with your vital contact info and a decent high-resolution photo (plus any impending performance dates) for possible review to: Locals Only,OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Or just be lazy and e-mail your MySpace link to ds****@oc******.com.
