Transcendence - Sleep With You

Mama told me to never judge a book by its cover. But when I received the record titled, Sleep With You which portrays a seductive bare-chested female on the cover, I formulated some questions. First, why is the man in the picture fondling the guitar? And second, will this be a disc of frivolous songs detailing the sexual conquests of a rock band? I can’t answer the first question, but the answer to the second question is a resounding YES. In “Sleep With You,” the album’s opening track, fame is the aphrodisiac: “What can I do to Sleep with you / I can give you money / I can give you a car / I can call my agent and he’ll make you a star.” In “Girls” a laundry list of previous “experiences” is recanted. My favorites: “Then there’s Naomi she was my homey.” And “Vicki gave me my first Hicki.” Absolutely brilliant lyrics, agree? “Veronica,” “Minnie Driver,” “Shira,” and “Nahal” are lucky enough to have their own songs. I’m not so sure that’s a good thing? But suppose the whole “I’m a rock star, and I get lot’s of ass” thing doesn’t bother you. Well, there are moments of transcendence as well… ha ha. Sleep With You is all over the place. “Girls” sounds like a Velvet Underground standard, while “Junkie” is another “yeah, were crazy rockers” song, with an eery post-Velvet Underground Lou Reed sound. “Beautiful One” is reminiscent of a David Bowie rock ballad. “Superhero Girl” and “Vicodin” straddle the line dividing David Bowie from Pete Yorn. “Minnie Driver” is just as kooky, but not as catchy, as “Stacy’s Mom.” While Sleep With You starts out as a pure rock record, it morphs into a 21st century studio feedback experimentation by the end of "Lttle Tree." Sleep With You doesn’t re-invent the wheel or make the wheel go faster, but it does put Transcendence on the “we may have potential” radar screen. Maybe next time, they shouldn't try to kill so many birds with one stone. Hey, at least we know they’re getting laid, right? [www.transcendence.com]