Sleep Forever
Alter Ego
DKA Records
Swiss duo Veil Of Light have gradually moved from a harsh and bombastic combination of darkwave and post-punk to a far easier going presentation of classic synthpop. But that shift evidently hasn’t been enough to sate one half of that duo, Markus Weber, who’s been moving his solo Sleep Forever project in a similar direction. By colouring in the corners and tightening up the songwriting, second Sleep Forever full-length Alter Ego improves upon the style set by its predecessor, Boyhood.
While lead single “Shine A Light” hinted at a slightly more raved up style of synthpop vacationing in the Balearics or Ibiza, conjuring memories of New Order’s Technique, the meat and potatoes synthpop anthem “Keep On Pretending” is more reflective of Alter Ego‘s overall sound. It’s made up of chiming synth leads which play well with one another and nuanced if not needlessly complex rhythms, blending in with Weber’s silky high tenor. Alter Ego is at its best when those elements set each other up for success – the filigreed arrangement and bubbling instrumentation (well ornamented but not cloying) of “Head Over The Heels” frame Weber’s vocals for a big and winning chorus, dropping the detail for broad strokes at just the right time.
The line between material subtlety and being underwritten can be a fine one, and there are likely a few points on Alter Ego where Sleep Forever drifts from the former into the latter. But even in those cases, if you have a yen for the sort of throwback synth patches and vocal stylings Weber is using, you’ll still be able to enjoy the easy-going confections of “Indifference” and “Pillar To Post” as they drift by.
Alter Ego finds Sleep Forever drawing the line between original classics by the likes of Duran Duran or Heaven 17 and the arch revisiting of that era we recently caught from Body Of Light or from Riki on her Gold LP. It’s a style which requires a delicate touch and on the whole it’s executed quite well here. It might not be the most insistent or hook-driven synthpop record you hear this year, but if you want some light elegance with which to acknowledge your melancholy without wallowing in it, you’ll find an affable listen here.
