BIRDS & BATTERIES: I'll Never Sleep Again

Birds & Batteries

I'll Never Sleep Again

© 2007 Michael Sempert (633914014223)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

Indie alt. country electronic. Keyboard post-rock with a highly specific Americana twang.

notes

In the land of the landslides, flash floods and valleys of stars, Birds & Batteries have discovered their own California summer, with their latest album "I'll Never Sleep Again". Inspired by the sparkle of 70's studio rock (Neil Young, the Eagles, Steely Dan) and driven by the compositional freedom of electronic music (Daft Punk, Hot Chip), the new album further develops B&B's original components of analog and digital, pedal steel and synthesizers, country and city.

Rich production and intricate arrangements aside, "I'll Never Sleep Again" also tells a story. Using a reinvention of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" as a jumping off point, "I'll Never Sleep Again" takes us on a journey into the heart of darkness itself, into jungles, across oceans, through sunken country-sides and flooded houses in search of love and self-realization in an era of natural disasters.

Recorded by Ian and Jay Pellicci (Deerhoof, Erase Errata) at John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studios, this album features the musicianship of some of San Francisco's finest, including Brian Michelson (The Loyd Family Players), Julie Thomasson (Or, The Whale), Jill Heinke (Aeron Flute Ensemble), Neil Thompson (Low Red Land), Daniela Gesundheit (Snowblink) and Katrina Weeks (The Music Lovers).

Equal parts explosive pop and epic balladry, four-on-the-floor beats and lonesome Americana, Birds & Batteries has taken another step down their path of genre-defying music. Call it country rock for the information age, the urban pastoral or what you will, Birds & Batteries' "I'll Never Sleep Again" is a work of singular vision and startling originality.

After a record release show at Café Du Nord in SF to a capacity audience and gearing up for a show at the prestigious Great American Music Hall in late August, Birds & Batteries is hitting the road in August and October, bringing their explosive live show to a small club near you.

Praise for Birds & Batteries and I’ll Never Sleep Again
"San Francisco’s Birds & Batteries isn’t just a standout local band, but one that could hit the national radar." - East Bay Express

"Tip your hat to Birds & Batteries for making eccentric music without worrying about fitting into an easy genre." -SF Weekly

"While Nature vs. Nature… was strong, I’ll Never Sleep Again represents significant advancements in both production and songwriting. The new songs are ambitious, featuring dense layering of synths and effects, and Sempert’s voice is strong and commanding. Unlike many releases, the album feels like an album, with songs leading into each other and themes developing as the release progresses." -The Bay Bridged

“We don't say this lightly, because there are really a lot of great artists coming out of the Bay Area, but we do have a current favorite: Birds & Batteries. . .We love I'll Never Sleep Again. It's still the B&B we met on their last release, but this time the woeful steel guitar and Mike Sempert's deep drawl are buffered by better productions. including warm bursts of synths so thick you could hold them in your hand. –The SFist

reviews

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  • Everthing Good
    author: Llynn

    This is what I like to hear, a melding of genres a blending of eras, a mix of soundscapes, a gush of emotinal stirring on nice thick layer of sonic goodness. In other words it's good....nah, not good, they're grrreat. I'd have it.

  • One of a kind.
    author: The Whit

    I bought this CD on a whim based on CD baby reviews, and I am very satisfied. The sound is transporting and unique. They balance everything out quite nicely between cleverness, quirks, melodies, and emotions, although overall it's very calm and relaxing. The album starts out great, but gets even better with more listens as it continues to grow. An example is the title track, "I'll Never Sleep Again", which I thought was all right at first, but the lyrics and melodic hooks set in after a while, and became one of my favorites. I recommend this CD for washing away stress and/or frustration.

  • Cool
    author: Buddha's Revenge
  • Rich Vast and Vulnerable
    author: Micah

    This album is rich vast and vulnerable. I am a junkie for grab your heart and clutch it music. This album allows me that and more.

  • author: Pamela at CD Baby

    A good cover is hard to come by. When so many bands attempt to pay homage to their favorite songs by playing it as much like the original as they possibly can, it’s easy to wonder why you’re not just listening to the original. That’s why when you attempt to play something as classic and beautiful as “Heart of Gold,” you’d sure as heckfire better be prepared to bring something completely different to it, and you’d better be sure that it works completely. The opening track of this record is just that, a gorgeous and cavernous cover of Neil Young’s heartbreaking beauty, rippling with synths, electric pianos, affected electronic drum sounds, and a voice that’s hollering through the depths as though it is slipping further and further away from you. The trick about this second album from San Francisco’s Birds and Batteries is that as a whole work, it somehow manages to ignite post-rock, a mellow Americana, and electronic music all at the same time. The marriage of electric piano, slide guitar, and drum machine is a textural wonder that seems to have the blatant approval of Apollo. The up-front parts are perfectly illuminated, elements toward the back fade into the velvety black of nighttime. The record feels deliberate, but completely unforced… cozy but spread out. Add in the superb, crystal clear production, and this record is ridiculously mouth-watering.

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