Search - Opiate :: While You Were Sleeping

Puts me in a place...

rottenjohnny | Madison, WI | 04/02/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, knowing what to expect from Opiate (based on his previous album, Objects for an Ideal Home, and many E.P.s and side projects) "While You Were Sleeping" actually surprised me quite a bit. It's darker, but in a good way, and holds a sort of nostalgia that Boards of Canada usually puts forth. Dark green clicks, hazy effects, and very, VERY unique sounds (like splinters of wooden things flying about) make up the bulk of this album, but it's length is distracting. Eight tracks (a little over thirty minutes) compared to its predecessor's fifteen tracks is a little off-putting for it's pricetag, but the songs are more distinguishable, more memorable. "Insert" is a dubby romp through psychedelia, complete with IDM beats and tiny melodies, while "Late" and "GM Memory" showcase Opiate's affinity for unusual time patterns and structures. "Srain" is the fastest song here, almost jungly, complete with flutters of vibraphones and smart rimshots. The childlike textures make this one of the more safe albums in the "intelligent dance music" field, which is comforting to even the most stubborn of rock purists (ask my brother). But overall, "While You Were Sleeping" is only a delicate glimpse into a world that few people can recall, much less change into music. It reminds me, personally, of wanting to fall in love with a blonde girl in a dark green shirt. I don't know why. It just does...."