Say what you will about Jack White’s personal life (he and his wife just hosted a party to celebrate their divorce?), musically the guy doesn’t make mistakes. Whether it’s with The White Stripes, Raconteurs or his new outfit The Dead Weather, the man knows what he’s doing to such a high degree, it’s odd more bands don’t emulate his style. Maybe others don’t want to seem unoriginal, but there are ways to imitate without sacrificing your soul.
Let’s then give a rousing golf clap (in the good Urban Dictionary way) to Sleeper Agent, a raging, full body-stomping sextet from Bowling Green, Kentucky, for continuing the legacy Meg and Jack called quits on a few months back. On its debut album Celabrasion, Sleeper Agent has taken the spirit of the White Stripes and mixed in elements of Led Zeppelin, Motown, T Rex and The Pixies for an elixir as smooth as Pappy Van Winkle (Kentucky reference No. 1).
Just listen to the Celabrasion‘s opening track (“Get It Daddy”) and you’ll see what I mean. The playful girl-boy vocal trade-off between Alex Kandel (the girl) and Tony Smith is irresistible, and when the band breaks into a drum and guitar melee a minute in, you’ve done gone to garage-rock heaven. Sleeper Agent goes from zero to 75 for one of the most exciting two minutes in music (Kentucky reference No. 2) — and it hasn’t even reached turn one yet.
“Force A Smile,” “Shuga Cane,” “Bottomed Out” – this band is relentless in its infectious, sing-along milieu – even the song titles are slogans. But Sleeper Agent isn’t a one-trick pony (Kentucky reference No. 3), as songs such as “Love Blood” and “Be My Monster” showcase a band ranging to envelop a wealth of sounds while keeping the listener invested. The latter song is the best of the lot, with Kandel lyrically racing a grinding guitar while Smith narrates in the background, up until the song becomes a groovy, chanting, samba. That’s right. Groovy. Chanting. Samba. And no, I haven’t had a single Mint Julep (Kentucky reference No. 4), but it’s sounding like a good idea.
Not what you were expecting from the Bluegrass State? Same here, but dammit I love surprises. Celabrasion is a swaggering statement with overt homages that work in the best of ways. It’s a crowning achievement (Kentucky reference No. 5). Jack would be proud of what he wrought.
