Are You Sleepy? Reviews

After every listen, The Gerbils Are You Sleepy gets better. The Gerbils have even become my second favorite Elephant Six band now because of this album, sneakily slipping right by the beloved Olivia Tremor Control.

It may not be the most clean recorded album, but it's got enough of the greatest pop songs of the 90's such as "Glue", "Grin", "Fluid", and "Crayon Box" on it. It's lo-fi, psych pop at its best. The only song I found weak on the album would be "Wet Host", which is just a slow paced instrumental song slapped right down in the middle of the album. It only disturbs the poppish flow of the album, but it's really not that bad of a song at all.

Scott Spillane, who has recorded with Neutral Milk Hotel as the trumpets on the masterpiece In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, has a voice that may be an annoyance to some people, like a higher and more harsh Jeff Mangum type voice, but all I can say is that I love it. It's unique in its own way, and you could tell right away if it was him. There's beauty in even the strangest of voices, and it is proven with Spillane. In fact, I may even love his voice as much as his lion mane-ish beard (if you haven't seen it, find a picture of it).

I love how popular Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel have gotten, but c'mon people, don't forget about the other Elephant Six bands that have existed over the years. The Gerbils are just as good as the Olivia Tremor Control, and possibly even better.

The more I listen to this album, the closer and closer it gets to me giving it a perfect five out of five stars. It hasn't gotten there quite yet, but in the near future it may get it and it would really deserve it as well. I recommend this album to anyone who wants to hear not only a great E6 album, but just a great album in general.