Sleep Good

Skyclimber (Autobus)

Sleep Good’s 2007 EP, Far From the Sea, introduced then-17-year-old pop savant and onetime Sound Team member Will Patterson as a dreamer of beaches outside his bedroom. Since then, the project has swelled to a local quintet that’s issued a flurry of releases, most recently the cassette-only Jungle Box, and toured extensively. The resulting full-length vinyl, Skyclimber, is a more developed affair, divided evenly between intriguing, near-orchestral instrumentals (“Fractl,” “Starbrnt”) and light indie pop tunes that sunbathe between Islands and Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele (“Hey Man,” “Water Voices”). Like Austin contemporary Bill Baird, Patterson can hear the voices inside Brian Wilson’s head, but his approach is more precious and precocious, brimming with squeaky clean harmonies and carefree summer abandon, as in the pool bounce of “Schlitterbahn.” Skyclimber‘s not quite the expected coming-of-age – it’s a little too twee at times – but Patterson has demonstrated plenty of growth.

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This article appears in October 22 • 2010.

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