Jordie Lane - Sleeping Patterns

12 August 2009 by Richard Wilson

With co-producer credit on the thirteen song album, Jeff Lang's influence on the sound of the album is clear. Probably in part due to his physical presence on most of the album's tracks, but also - I'm sure - because of a lasting influence Lang's impressive career has had on Lane's own sound.

Opening with the fast and mean bluegrass sound of 'The Publican's Daughter', the album quickly shows its range by moving onto softer territory with 'War Rages On', an acoustic number backed by distant tuba and trombone. The catchy melody thinly disguises a mournful travelogue that manages to make even the line "They ask did I ride a kangaroo to school?" sound heartbreaking. From here the industrial blues of 'Dig Straight Through' hits heavy once again. With a chain-gang beat and pulsating harmonica, the sound feels like the unfinished business of Jeff Lang's 'Copper Mine' from his last album.

'John W Thistle' is straight out of the 'Highway 61 Revisited' book of tricks. A fast, sloppy cacophony of sounds with the unmistakable sounds of the harmonica and organ thrown on top of a rock band, it's hard to look past it as anything more than a salute to Bob Dylan. And all you can really say is that it achieves that. Lane's obviously not trying to prove anything musically or otherwise in the fun little number thrown in the middle of the album for kicks.

Despite its mournful sound, throughout the album Lane seldom deals with serious life-impacting subject matter. Instead through looking at the more depressing minutiae of life, he gives credence to the idea that it's the little things in life that really matter -- good and bad.

At times Jeff Lang's contributions makes 'Sleeping Patterns' sound like a musical collaboration between the two, especially on the heavier songs where as producer and contributing musician he lends his own musical sensibilities, as you'd expect. It's on the softer songs like 'There Once Was Life To Come' and 'Walking That Way' that Jordie Lane crafts a unique sound of his own that meshes with the Lang-influences to create an album that simply works. As the 'roots' scene in Australia evolves, it's more daring and simply interesting releases like 'Sleeping Patterns' that will capture listeners' attention.

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