Letter of Recommendation: Sleep, ‘Dopesmoker’

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-sleep-dopesmoker.html

by rashkov • 10 years ago

133 63 10 years ago

You know your week is off to an interesting start when an article about an obscure* stoner metal band is on the front page of Hacker News.

* Obscure by mainstream standards, insofar as most people can't tell you what "doom" or "stoner" metal means. They're fairly well-known within the circle.

avolcano• 10 years ago

I don't listen to a lot of stoner/doom metal (Pallbearer's about the closest I get, really), but I absolutely adore this album. It's so extreme in concept, but very easy to digest. It's an absolute masterpiece of musicianship (and has some of the funniest lyrics I've ever heard). Very happy to see the Times, of all places, give it a plug.

mjgoins• 10 years ago

If you like Sleep's Dopesmoker, the next logical step is Conference of the Birds, by OM.

thenipper• 10 years ago

I feel like the Body is also good place to go.

goldbrick• 10 years ago

Electric Wizard's Dopethrone is another venerable classic.

WaxProlix• 10 years ago

Dopethrone is definitely the way to go if you like Sleep, and Electric Wizard's Witchcult Today offers some slight stylistic branching out while retaining the doom metal vibe, if folks are interested in further listening.

ionised6• 10 years ago

OM are also excellent.

Same vocalist and bassist as Sleep (though I think the bassist is different now and they've added a drummer).

poloniculmov• 10 years ago

Al Cisneros is still the vocalist/basist/leader. The original drummer, who also played in Sleep left the band in 2008.

sakri• 10 years ago

For the lazy, listen to it here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIw7oeZKpZc (or don't bro, it's all good)

milge• 10 years ago

Dragonaut by Sleep is also pretty good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-FjO3E8K-E

One of the few songs where the low quality makes it sound better.

alvern• 10 years ago

Holy Mountain is one of their best records

cmpb• 10 years ago

Completely agree. Sleeps quality of recording (not shitty, but not overdone) contributes a lot to their unique sound, including their earlier more "punky" stuff.

vezzy-fnord2• 10 years ago

I actually enjoy the original recording Jerusalem more than Dopesmoker. The lo-fi production makes it sound even rawer and more penetrating.

That said, I've probably played both over a dozen times each. It truly is a journey and one that seldom gets tedious for some reason.

AdmiralAsshat2• 10 years ago

IIRC, Jerusalem wasn't the original, but a bootleg. The album was cut up into several tracks, if memory serves.

I will say, however, that the bootleg cover art by Arik Roper is probably my favorite of the bunch:

http://www.roadburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/sleep-jer...

I prefer it over the recent reissue cover, even though Roper did that as well.

ionised6• 10 years ago

Yeah, the original was one continuous track, as Dopesmoker is but the record label deemed it 'unmarketable' and demanded the band change it.

They responded by basically keeping it the same, but cutting it up into smaller ~10 minute tracks, which the label again deemed unacceptable.

The band split as a result rather than change their work (which I give them mega props for). Years later fans managed to raise enough money to get it released in its original, unedited form which is the Dopesmoker we have now.

huuu• 10 years ago

I't not obvious from the article but Dopesmoker is in fact a single.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_and_Dopesmoker

darkr3• 10 years ago

It's definitely an album.

The definitions are fairly woolly, but generally speaking, to be classed as a single, a release can have up to three tracks, with each track up to 10 minutes and in total no longer than 30 minutes runtime.

Anything with three to five tracks, with a total run time of up to 25 or 30 minutes (depending on who you ask) can be classed as an EP.

Anything with a more than five tracks, and less than 30 minutes runtime is a mini-LP.

Anything with a longer runtime than this, is an LP, otherwise known as an album. Even if it only has one track.

hrnnnnnn3• 10 years ago

I did not expect to see Sleep on the front page of HN! If you want to hear the logical conclusion of Black Sabbath, give this record a listen :D

vezzy-fnord2• 10 years ago

The logical conclusion of Black Sabbath would be something more akin to Church of Misery, I'd argue. They even verbatim lift the aesthetic, particularly in Master of Brutality and The Second Coming.

hrnnnnnn3• 10 years ago

Thanks for the recommendation :D

chubot• 10 years ago

I feel like it's the logical conclusion of part of Sabbath's catalog -- ONE BRANCH. Sabbath is amazing because one or two songs contain the seeds for entire subgenre of metal ... and another song, a completely different subgenre. They were around before metal split into thrash, doom, stoner, etc. obviously.

The band "Thou" IMO is the best candidate for heirs to Sabbath, in that they are super literate. They have a specific doom/black metal sound, but borrow a lot from outside of metal.

hrnnnnnn3• 10 years ago

Awesome, I'll check them out :D

careersuicide• 10 years ago

If you enjoy Sleep I highly recommend "Dopethrone" by Electric Wizard.

jaredandrews• 10 years ago

Hah, funny seeing this here. I have never been able to get into this album no matter how "prepared" I get for it. The vinyl reissues of it are real pretty though so maybe one of these days I'll buy it and try again :)

JonnieCache• 10 years ago

The vinyl reissues of it are real pretty though

Unfortunately, coloured vinyl/picture discs sound pretty awful and degrade much more quickly. A novelty item only.

Although tbf unless you're a DJ any vinyl record is sort of a novelty item.

codq2• 10 years ago

Which is why when the reissue was pressed in 2012, I snapped the black vinyl copy as soon as time allowed.

meekins• 10 years ago

This is one of the albums that are nicer to have on cd instead of vinyl. I mean who wants to interrupt a good dopesmoker session by having to get up from the couch every 20 minutes to flip the lp?

swayvil• 10 years ago

Sonic Titan. Snappiest song on the album. My fave.

RUG3Y• 10 years ago

I think a better starting point is Sleep's live performance at Hellfest - see it on youtube. This music is much better understood in a live context.

monksy4• 10 years ago

Would you suggest seeing them live? I have a chance to see them tomorrow at Thalia Hall in Chicago, but I'm just not sure on that yet.

rawaid• 10 years ago

Yes, 100%. They're playing with Bongripper who are also amazing and you'll be happy you went.

marpstar• 10 years ago

Saw them in 2010. Smoked dope during Dopesmoker. Highly recommended, no pun intended.

codq2• 10 years ago

Of course the answer is of course.

jcpst• 10 years ago

Excellent, Sleep on HN!

astazangasta• 10 years ago

Non sequitur objection to the whole 'potsmoker == lazy, unproductive' bit. When will we get over that one? Half of Silicon Valley is likely stoned at work right now, busily hacking away.

JoeAltmaier• 10 years ago

Not in my experience. Which spans 30 years.

morgante• 10 years ago

What part of taking 4 years to write down a single song isn't lazy?

ionised6• 10 years ago

A 1 hour 10 minute song?

forgottenpass• 10 years ago

As soon as we get over human insistence to brand and be branded by the activities we and others engage in.

But that seems to be at an all time high.

darkstar999• 10 years ago

Did you listen to this music?

ionised6• 10 years ago

I love that album.

Listening to it from start to finish in one sitting is an experience. It's meditative.

jay-saint• 10 years ago

Agreed, I put on my noise isolation headphones and started listing to it near the end of the day. When I stopped coding and the album was almost over, I realized I was last one in the office by probably 30 minutes.

ionised6• 10 years ago

Man, I wish we were allowed to wear headphones in the office here.

The boss is old-fashioned as hell and thinks its unprofessional. He also thinks we have to wear a shirt and ties every day and that trade unions are communism.

I'm currently looking for other opportunities lol.

Drup• 10 years ago

The essence of heavy metal is discipline in service of the preposterous. At its best, the genre solemnizes the impulses of adolescence.

Eh, that's an interesting (if very partial) view of heavy metal.

pessimizer• 10 years ago

Ask kids to say "I'm a monster!" in a monster voice. You will hear every non-operatic metal vocal style. If one of the kids does something you haven't heard in metal yet, start a band and rip the kid off.

ErikAugust• 10 years ago

I love this album. Great for long (stoned) afternoon runs in a canyon.

Always thought it sounded like Sleep decided to take up where Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf" left off.

jpmattia2• 10 years ago

According to Billy Anderson, the recording engineer, the guitar tracks were recorded three separate times to thicken the sound, using custom-built amps so powerful that it wasn’t possible to stand in the same room with them. Each amp was recorded with seven or eight microphones, which gives you a sense of the dedication required to create something so loud.

[facepalm] The triumph of hype over signal analysis.

darkr3• 10 years ago

Yeah... Though I think an analysis of the lyrics would suggest that they weren't in a sober signal-analysis kind of mood when making this record..

    Drop out of life with bong in hand
    Follow the Smoke toward the Riff filled Land
    Drop out of life with bong in hand
    Follow the Smoke toward the Riff filled Land
    ...
    Creedsmen roll out across the dying dawn
    Sacred Israel Holy Mountain Zion
    Sun beams down on to the Sandsea reigns
    Caravan migrates through deep sandscape
    Lungsmen unearth the creed of Hasheeshian
    Procession of the Weed-Priests to cross the sands
    Desert Legion Smoke-Covenant is complete
    ...

Plus, if you've spent all your advance on custom amps and weed, you might as well put them to use.

grubles• 10 years ago

The band name "Sleep" and song titled "Dopesmoker" didn't tip you off?

failrate2• 10 years ago

A really loud amp in a small room has the added benefit of a nice-sounding natural compression.

jpmattia2• 10 years ago

And a pile of resonant modes, ensuring a non-flat response. But how is a small room causing non-linearity?

flycaliguy• 10 years ago

I don't know much about signal analysis but amps sound different when louder. Since they couldn't enter the room due to the loudness, it makes sense to just lay out 8 different mics and use the best angle. Layer three takes and it doesn't seem like hype so much as a loud approach to recording.

ararar• 10 years ago

[facepalm] translation: our sound goes to 11!

epsylon• 10 years ago

There's nothing shocking to anyone who knows how music recording (in particular stoner / doom metal) happens. Recording yourself several times is standard practice (it's called doubling or quading in sound engineering terms). It fattens the sound because the performer will not play exactly the same thing twice: it is just like having two guitar players in unison. Recording with several microphones is also standard practice. Mic placement has a HUGE influence on the sound you get so you will usually use at least 3 mics when recording a guitar amp; more mics just gives you more flexibility to achieve the final mix.

yekim• 10 years ago

This article is absolutely hilarious! I rarely laugh out loud when I'm reading stuff, but this line just got me.

"Because I’m overeducated and insecure, I package my banal observations in semantic finery, so I feel a kinship with lines like ‘‘Earthling inserts to chalice the green cutchie/Groundation soul finds trust upon smoking hose,’’ which is a fancy way of saying ‘‘a guy smokes some weed.’’ The thesis of ‘‘Dopesmoker’’ may boil down to ‘‘smoke dope,’’ but first-time listeners should be forgiven for wondering if it’s actually an anthropological study of Qedarite tribes in the pre-Christian Sinai Peninsula."

Totes hilare. Any song with lyrics that complex and earth shattering, deserves a listen. Plus - metal. Ya. Rocking out to the epic tune now!

_qbjt• 10 years ago

Oh, Sleep is great. I'm also surprised none of the comments (up to this point) have mentioned High on Fire, Matt Pike's other doom metal band. They're incredible live.

failrate2• 10 years ago

Great to read this. I just read a vice article with Billy Anderson describing his work on Pallbearer's new album while learning the bass line for their song The Legend. If you like Sleep at all, you will probably love Pallbearer. Sleep are one of those bands that are greater for their inspiration for bands that followed than the quality of their own seminal work.

Letter of Recommendation: Sleep, ‘Dopesmoker’

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