“Gas Mask Blues”
from the album Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel
2008
iTunes
A little like early emo bands, especially Bright Eyes, Sleeping in the Aviary unleash a driven emotional indie rock sound right from the start of Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel. But, more than Bright Eyes, Sleeping in the Aviary carry the flag of early- and mid-80s college rock bands such as the Violent Femmes, the Dead Milkmen, and They Might Be Giants. Maybe with a little early Against Me thrown in for good acoustic measure.
Catchy, danceable, quirky, and noisy; the Madison trio of Elliot Kozel, Phil Mahlstadt, and Michael Sienkowski began their sing-along, intense, stripped-down style of rock in 2003 before releasing their debut, Oh, This Old Thing? in 2007. Following up with Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel, the newly formed quartet since adding Celeste Huele continue to release out music often thought of as comparable to early New York Punk-era Talking Heads. That early Big Apple vibe gives the band a similar energy as the Velvet Underground, too.
Frantic, moody and slightly weird; Sleeping in the Aviary’s second full-length album pushes the amalgam of screaming vocals and clangy guitar rock into fuzzy, spacey territory. Fans of the early American proto-punk sounds of such Detroit bands as the Stooges and the MC5 or Ohio-based rockers like Rocket from the Tombs will find an energetic little brother with Sleeping in the Aviary.
The opening track, “Write On,” kicks off the album with a catchy, fun tune that causes toes to tap along to a very college rock sound, while “Gas Mask Blues” brings out the big guns with a clash of soft singing and wild Sonic Youth-esque noise.
The way the tracks often build from a slow contemplative melodious musing to a screaming fit redolent of any pre-90s indie band, Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel packs a punch while asking the listener to pack their lunch for one wild ride through what could quite possibly be the mind of a schizophrenic. Touchy, creative, sappy, eclectic, and fiercely energetic all at the same time; Sleeping in the Aviary bring together an array of sound most bands can only dream of accomplishing. Maybe that’s why “You’re a Party” reminds one of The Beatles, one of the few other bands in history to approach the ledge of musical creativity and step off it with confidence.