SLEEPER AND SNAKE - "FRESCO SHED" LP

LULUS:

Since their 2019 debut album on Aarght Records, Sleeper And Snake has served as an outlet for Al Montfort and Amy Hill. The upcoming album titled ‘Fresco Shed’ is a dreamy tapestry of music which weaves itself in and out of a unique and sympathetic take on local surroundings; their own special brand of watercolour pop is rich and very much their own. 

Like overlaying a scenic photo taken yesterday with a picture of the same scene years ago; or a haze of soft colours laid atop an impressionist portrait; it offers a journeying that drifts off to a similarly recognisable but distant view of the same lands. The artful and varied approach of the pair’s creativity, politics and storytelling make it impossible to tell which came along first, and that’s part of the joy in listening. 

Local landmarks, characters and tales sit side by side on the walls of their Fresco Shed; V-Line regional trains, Pentridge Prison, Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance memorial, corrupt handshakes, a farmer full of feeling. These bedfellows dance around lyrically while Sleeper And Snake’s stories and thoughts are pondered over a backdrop of humming, droning, wandering and flighty instrumentation that move around the usual elements of Australian modern pop tunes. 

At times bold and experimental, at times ethereal and gentle;  the image is there. Like most art worth its while, whether it’s the first or fifty first viewing, Fresco Shed’s message continues to reveal itself upon each interaction.