I, Sleepwalker
Snake River
5.5
On Snake River, Kentuckians I, Sleepwalker sound akin to He Is Legend circa I Am Hollywood, but sometimes throw a wrench into the machine like when they swagger into a sludgy, cowbell-filled passage during the title track. That’s the oddest, unexpected change, however, though also the one that will likely garner a sneer from those who are familiar with the bands they’re imitating. Even so, Snake River isn’t a bad record, per se, but it’s definitely a trying, average listen that I can’t help but accuse of copycatting to a detrimental degree.
Adjectives like bouncy, quirky, and energetic describe I, Sleepwalker well enough, though one need mention the attention-grabbing synthesizers (“Apocalypstick,” “Sorry I Was Late, I Couldn’t Find a Tie to Go with My Victory Cap,” “Hey Baby Girl, Nice Shoes,” et cetera), soaring Croom-esque clean shouts, intermittent growls, and melodious, infectious guitar hooks to get a true sense of the quintet’s shtick. There are also -core breakdowns (“Let’s Step Out Back and Settle This Like Men,” “I’ve Got a Pretty Good Feeling About This Headless Woman,” “Yeah Baby, We’re Destroyers,” “This Time John Wayne Doesn’t Walk Off into the Sunset,” et cetera), and if you haven’t noticed yet, I, Sleepwalker do indeed have atrocious song titles.
While catchy and strangely captivating, Snake River comes up short in the long run. I’m tolerant beyond belief, or at least I’d like to think so, but it seems I, Sleepwalker aren’t for you or me. Plain and simple: He Is Legend did this better three years ago.
