This is what happens when you blog in the waning days of summer: you run out of things to blog about. Then you start watching random YouTubes of artists you haven’t heard from in awhile, which usually leads to hours of aimless trolling, and occasionally leads to something like this. We first heard from Markland Starkie aka Sleeping States back in ’06 when he was 23 and put out the lovely “Rivers” single; now he’s probably 25 and hasn’t really put out much of anything since. Anyway, this clip sets SS’s cooing, rambling “Memory Games” to a grainy, POV bike ride through the sunny hills of Hillsborough, to instantly vintage and sublime effect. It isn’t an official video: The 10-minute clip is a nostalgic document of a day with a father, but in the end it plays like a perfect paean to the end of summer.
So pretty. In case you need a refresher:
Both “Memory Games” and “Rivers” comes from Markland’s There The Open Spaces, which you should probably go find sometime soon if you don’t have it already. Sleeping States, where you at?
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gorgeous
got an ep out in a couple months or so. more on that later…. mx
“memory games” is my favorite track from that sleeping states album (which was probably the most overlooked release of 2007). this video makes a beautiful companion to the song.
agreed. markland, you have much talent. your music is very intimate much love my friend.
(Shades of Mark Lanigan/Dead Can Dance/The Tea Party (Shadows on The Mountains)?
While this song is very beautiful there is something reticent – almost retentive – about the early disappearance of this lovely lovely voice from the song, leaving me stranded and wanting to hear more. I don’t know whether this is a good thing or not! While the ethereality of the overlaid guitar/effects is gorgeous, there is something unconvincing about the guitar technique that a kind of free-associative dissonance is not quite concealing. Looking forward to Sleeping States working with some top line instrumentalists and liberating a wonderful voice and an original songwriter.