Sleeper Set Sail

An EP of earlier material and a couple of new ones, Sleeper Set Sail certainly have the chops to claim the crown of power emo in 2005, and upon the strength of these scant five songs, they just might. With machine-gun fret board activity on "Lifejacket” and the standard plaintive vocals, the mix brings to mind tourmates Alexisonfire and current hot product Taking Back Sunday. But, some interesting things start to happen with "Patterns in Your Dash.” Seemingly beginning like most other emo out there, the track morph into something different through the intricate guitar play, which starts to pummel in glorious repetition about two minutes in, forcing the ears to perk up and stand at attention. The epic track doesn’t know when to quit though, and as it quiets down it starts to slowly build back to its earlier climax with the listener now at full attention. Continuing the promise is "Phases,” which proves Sleeper Set Sail is a cut above the morass due to its inventiveness and intensity of the layers and mix of guitars. Notwithstanding the bland earlier tracks, A Foreword slays the listeners at the end, hoping this new direction is what’s in store for their upcoming full-length.