Sleeper – ‘Smart’/‘The It Girl’ (Re-issue Reviews)
Tuesday, 01 February 2011
Written by Rob Sleigh
Pulp are reforming, Ocean Colour Scene are re-issuing and touring ‘Moseley Shoals’ and Suede are playing their first three albums live in May. It’s the return of Britpop. But what could come next? After the reunions of Cast and Blur over the last couple of years, it was probably about time Sleeper made a reappearance of some kind as well. However, as there’s been no sign of a reunion announcement yet, we’ll all just have to make do with these Deluxe Edition re-issues of their two biggest albums ‘Smart’ and ‘The It Girl’.
Fifteen years since the release of Sleeper’s second and most successful album ‘The It Girl’, Cherry Red Records have decided to re-release the group’s music in an apparently shameless attempt to jump on the Britpop revival bandwagon. Fortunately, this is far from a bad thing. Sleeper’s first two records originally appeared slap-bang in the middle of that iconic era in the ‘90s and who could argue that they were any less important than either ‘Morning Glory’ or ‘Parklife’? Let’s not forget, of course, that this was the band who were fronted by none other than the queen of Britpop herself, Louise Wener.
The doe-eyed songstress was every indie boy’s favourite pin-up back in those days and she also happened to be the writer of some of the most catchy and raunchy lyrics of the decade. Not only that, but Louise also became known for being the archetypal indie frontwoman. Who can forget the three Sleeperblokes? Thingummy, whatsit and, of course, the other one. Unfortunately for the men in the group, they were somewhat eclipsed by Louise’s celebrity and were destined to be faceless shadows at the back of the stage.
Following the release of their third album ‘Pleased to Meet You’ in 1997, things began to go downhill fast for Sleeper, but their first two releases definitely marked a sign of the (good) times for the group. While other so-called Britpop bands stood too far on the rock side of the fence, it was undeniable that Sleeper managed to display a definitive pop charm to their guitar-based indie elegance. On their debut ‘Smart’, songs like ‘Inbetweener’ and ‘Vegas’ easily spanned the boundary between pop and rock in a way that could have brought a smile to even the most uncompromising indie kid’s face. On the follow-up ‘The It Girl’, they flaunted an ever-so-slightly more matured sound that turned tracks like ‘Sale of the Century’ and ‘Statuesque’ into instant hits.
So, with the return of these two golden greats, complete with a job lot of B-sides and live tracks, there are plenty of good reasons to think back to the good old days of Britpop. If you’re lucky, Sleeper may even join the latest revival as well. Fingers crossed.
Stereoboard Rating: 8/10
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The doe-eyed songstress was every indie boy’s favourite pin-up back in those days and she also happened to be the writer of some of the most catchy and raunchy lyrics of the decade. Not only that, but Louise also became known for being the archetypal indie frontwoman. Who can forget the three Sleeperblokes? Thingummy, whatsit and, of course, the other one. Unfortunately for the men in the group, they were somewhat eclipsed by Louise’s celebrity and were destined to be faceless shadows at the back of the stage. 
