Sleepcomesdown

The ominous cool of Sonic Youth and Unwound is an easy ploy for a band to hide behind, and so is the circuit-stabbing experimentation of Health and Black Dice. To merge the two takes a little more dedication, and surprisingly doesn’t mean getting swallowed whole in pretension, at least for Milwaukee-via-Kenosha band Sleepcomesdown. As clearly as these influences come through, they also inspire the group to expand and revise its palette of textural gadgets and reverb-laden effects with each song. On 2008’s Vapor Kicks EP, Sleepcomesdown tries to tweak and frizz out its well-orchestrated static of electronics and sinister vocals, filling “Visual Tactics” with throbs and drones, and covering Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper.”

Updated 07/27/2011