Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

On April 22, 2008, Sleepercar will be releasing their much-anticipated debut album, West Texas. For a band that is just arriving on the music scene, they are receiving a lot of attention due to their tour through Canada with City and Colour that will take place this summer. The band is a side project of At the Drive In’s, Jim Ward, and consists of four other band members, Chris Heinrich, Matthew Schmitz, Gabe Gonzalez, and Greg Sosa.

Ward started to write the first song, Fences Down at the last At the Drive In show by playing a few notes during a moment of silence. He states that he had had some ideas for some alternative rock/country music and started Sleepercar without the intention of ever recording or performing the work. He says on his Myspace.com page that it was “Just to jam, just to have fun.” It was just for fun at first, but soon, Fences Down was finalized and recorded…and next, there was Heavy Weights. Ward jammed with his buddies and with his father, and soon thereafter, they had an eight-track demo and were playing shows.

West Texas is a great album and is very different from anything else that Ward has produced. It brings out his softer side with more melodic ballads, harmonicas, and an experimental alternative rock/country sound. Some of the songs can be a little twangy, but Ward’s sultry voice overshadows that minor detail. His voice is rough with a soft side and most of the songs on this album complement that aspect of his music. Overall, it is a very well put-together album for a man who is still a part of another band (Sparta) and is not accustomed to this type of music. It is one of the better side projects that I have heard, and everyone should definitely get out there on April 22 to buy this album.