Grand Archives: Song for a Summer Barbecue

Quietly swirling and almost hallucinogenic, Grand Archives' "Sleepdriving" feels unmistakably bittersweet and hopeful.

David Belisle

As the leader of Grand Archives, guitarist Mat Brooke proves that he has a sunnier disposition than his previous cohorts in Band of Horses or Carissa's Wierd [sic]. His new band serves up breezy, sun-dappled pop that feels like the first barbecue of the summer — a soundtrack for lazy, hazy times colored by the sensation that the hottest season may just stretch out forever.

"Sleepdriving" feels like the end of that day, when the narcoleptic effects of too much beer, food, and laughter have taken their toll and the chill in the air has forced the last stragglers indoors. Quietly swirling and almost hallucinogenic, the song feels unmistakably bittersweet and hopeful. By the time it builds from a whisper to a climax and makes its woozy exit, it's hard not to have absorbed its effects.

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