Loyalty/Sleeperman (Chippy Records)

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The first review on these pages concerned an album whisking you off into a slower, more innocent past. This single’s sentiments hanker for that same nostalgic utopia, but is left surveying the chaotic debris of the unmerciful present.
I was left for a time wondering – with the age of the internet and the (middle) age of myself whether it was still possible to achieve music listening Valhalla - hearing a band you’ve never heard of and know absolutely nothing about – and become instantly excited and curious and on the hunt to seek out more. Well – it certainly is.
Neil Scott, ex of Felt, Horse Latitudes and current Sleeperman guitarist kindly sought out this webpage and sent me their third single of 2018, “Loyalty”. By the end of the year they will have released a single for each month. The A-Side of each single is available digitally, but limited edition CDs are issued with an extra track – or “B-Side” (for hipsters or those over a certain age).
Alongside Neil, Sleeperman feature Stephen Skinner on bass (ex Orange Juice and Edwyn Collins), Phil Sharp on drums, and the exquisitely erudite John Hilton on vocals and lyrics (or as he is termed in the group – singer/poet).
“Loyalty” opens with Neil Scott’s Eastern (ish) guitar riff conjuring up memories of The Beatles’ “Within You Without You” – but almost immediately the mystical East switches to the East of Yorkshire – where John Hilton’s downbeat, resigned delivery commences with a phrase I haven’t heard in many a year – “Something’s Not Right In The State Of Denmark”. In modern parlance the term “WTF?” would tear through one’s mind like a lightning bolt, but the overall tone of this song would ache for the times when it would have been a shorter and simpler “Eh?”.
The sympathetic easy-going backing track effortlessly frames line after line of lyrical gold. “There’s something in the water, something in the air, something in the ether – I met a woman on the tram who said ‘It’s Part Of God’s Plan’ but I didn’t believe her”. The stark stresses of middle aged existence are succinctly expressed here – most notably in the lyric – “When the mortgage is due – your house is a zoo – and your dad’s back in a nappy”.
And all of this before the first chorus! Give me a chorus that starts better than this in 2018 and I’ll be a fan for life – “But if I’m lost I’m on my phone, you can always find me – Tesco’s have a lead on how much lager I will need to unwind me”. This review could purely consist of every damn word on this release. “Loyalty” is sheer class.  

https://www.facebook.com/stephen.skinner.148/videos/10214390256204446/



The CD-only B-Side – “Peace Of Mind & A Good Night’s Sleep” – is just over two minutes of catchy gentle guitar pop with another round of inspired lyricism. A clearly fed up Hilton outlines the absurdities of social media and the ever-present surveillance on every one of us. “You’re inclined to watch what they are watching – they’re designed to watch what you watch too – Followers lead where others simply follow – Following what the following followers do – In a clear sky on a clear night you can see the satellites – and with a clear signal on a clear day they can tell where you are and what you like”.
Loyalty is already available digitally but check through the band’s Facebook page for availability of their CDs. I have just messaged them for their previous output. A reviewer isn’t meant to be out of pocket but I will happily be for Sleeperman! Lee McFadden 11/3/18

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