Review: 2*Sweet, "Sleep Without Dreams"

2*Sweet
“Sleep Without Dreams”
(C. Walrus)

Last week, I chatted it up with Justin Pence, 2*Sweet’s singer, for an upcoming feature in the next issue of Redefine. In the interview, Pence mentioned that labels weren’t necessarily knocking on their door; “It takes people a while to stomach us and we’ve come to grips with that,” said Pence. And it’s true, unfortunately. The reality is that 2*Sweet’s amalgam of hardcore, pop, metal and punk has the potential to be a giant clusterfuck, but it walks away as its own epic rock genre.

“Sleep Without Dreams,” the band’s full-length debut, is chock full of great pop jams such as “Rested Eyes Tell No Lies,” “Miss You,” and “Bury Me in the Lovers’ Graveyard,” as well as some heavier songs like “Friends Till the Weekend” and “Dateless for Armageddon.” There’s even a 90’s style quiet-storm song in “Tarantula Perfume.”

The album is driven by Pence’s operatic vocal range and vivid lyrical imagery, which can best be compared to other great musical storytellers like Nas and Eric Clapton. Yet at the same time, it’s Pence’s schizophrenic vocal choices that make the album a little harder to swallow. But if you’re able to get around that, then you’d be in for a treat of an album. It’s possible that “Sleep Without Dreams” is a major contender for the best album of the year – it’s just up to the kids to jump on it now before 2*Sweet starts playing stadiums.