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I Like It When You Sleep, For Are So Beautiful Yet Unaware of
I Like It When You Sleep, For Are So Beautiful Yet Unaware of in Bloomington, MN
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Size: CD
As well as having a mouthful of a title,
the 1975
's sophomore album, 2016's
I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It
, is the kind of ambitious, self-indulgent album that either marks a grand misstep by a fledgling band, or the start of something big. Produced by
Mike Crossey
,
I Like It When You Sleep
finds
picking up on many of the stylistic threads running through their
Crossey
-helmed, self-titled 2013 debut: synthy new wave, kinetic dance-rock, and atmospheric balladry. The difference this time around is
, and the band's pristine studio execution, marked by a distinctive '80s adult contemporary aesthetic. While bands like
MGMT
and
Vampire Weekend
have long mined the VH-1 vaults for stylistic inspiration, there's nothing mannered about
's retro-leanings. Despite their name and their ear for '80s synthesizers, the British outfit sound much more flamboyant than their contemporaries. This is primarily due to the contributions of lead singer
Matthew Healy
, whose overly wordy lyrics and weird, playfully dark persona -- sort of like a sexual Fraggle -- can sometimes put listeners off the pop scent. As he sings on "The Sound," "It's not about reciprocation, it's just all about me/A sycophantic, prophetic, Socratic, junkie wannabe."
In that sense,
are more in line with the swagger of artists like
INXS
U2
, or even
Madonna
for that matter, whose early hits clearly had an impact on the group's approach here. Cuts like "UGH!," and the cheeky, plastic funk single "Love Me," sound delightfully like something
might have made in collaboration with
Chic
guitarist
Nile Rodgers
and art-pop duo
Yello
. Similarly, "The Sound" and the sparkling anthem "She's American," feature brightly infectious hooks that wouldn't be out of place on a
Prince
album. In fact, there's a palpable R&B inclination running through much of
. It's a vibe that reaches an apex on the yearning, mid-album slow-jam, "If I Believe You," which also happens to feature a gorgeously rendered fluegelhorn solo from jazz star and longtime
D'Angelo
collaborator
Roy Hargrove
.
Elsewhere, in keeping with the overall '80s adult contemporary sound, tracks like the shimmeringly moody "Somebody Else" and the sweetly romantic "Paris," bring to mind
Tango in the Night
-era
Fleetwood Mac
. Admittedly, at 17 tracks,
is long. And given the poetic, atmospheric nature of many of the songs, it's somewhat unwieldy in one sitting. Ultimately, however, it's that uncompromising mix of POP (in capitalize letters) and inventive, exploratory musicianship that help make it such a rewarding listen. As the title implies, it may take
a while to get to the point on
, but when they do, the results are revelatory. ~ Matt Collar
the 1975
's sophomore album, 2016's
I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It
, is the kind of ambitious, self-indulgent album that either marks a grand misstep by a fledgling band, or the start of something big. Produced by
Mike Crossey
,
I Like It When You Sleep
finds
picking up on many of the stylistic threads running through their
Crossey
-helmed, self-titled 2013 debut: synthy new wave, kinetic dance-rock, and atmospheric balladry. The difference this time around is
, and the band's pristine studio execution, marked by a distinctive '80s adult contemporary aesthetic. While bands like
MGMT
and
Vampire Weekend
have long mined the VH-1 vaults for stylistic inspiration, there's nothing mannered about
's retro-leanings. Despite their name and their ear for '80s synthesizers, the British outfit sound much more flamboyant than their contemporaries. This is primarily due to the contributions of lead singer
Matthew Healy
, whose overly wordy lyrics and weird, playfully dark persona -- sort of like a sexual Fraggle -- can sometimes put listeners off the pop scent. As he sings on "The Sound," "It's not about reciprocation, it's just all about me/A sycophantic, prophetic, Socratic, junkie wannabe."
In that sense,
are more in line with the swagger of artists like
INXS
U2
, or even
Madonna
for that matter, whose early hits clearly had an impact on the group's approach here. Cuts like "UGH!," and the cheeky, plastic funk single "Love Me," sound delightfully like something
might have made in collaboration with
Chic
guitarist
Nile Rodgers
and art-pop duo
Yello
. Similarly, "The Sound" and the sparkling anthem "She's American," feature brightly infectious hooks that wouldn't be out of place on a
Prince
album. In fact, there's a palpable R&B inclination running through much of
. It's a vibe that reaches an apex on the yearning, mid-album slow-jam, "If I Believe You," which also happens to feature a gorgeously rendered fluegelhorn solo from jazz star and longtime
D'Angelo
collaborator
Roy Hargrove
.
Elsewhere, in keeping with the overall '80s adult contemporary sound, tracks like the shimmeringly moody "Somebody Else" and the sweetly romantic "Paris," bring to mind
Tango in the Night
-era
Fleetwood Mac
. Admittedly, at 17 tracks,
is long. And given the poetic, atmospheric nature of many of the songs, it's somewhat unwieldy in one sitting. Ultimately, however, it's that uncompromising mix of POP (in capitalize letters) and inventive, exploratory musicianship that help make it such a rewarding listen. As the title implies, it may take
a while to get to the point on
, but when they do, the results are revelatory. ~ Matt Collar
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