What’s better than not reviewing a surprisingly solid debut record from a somewhat local band of shoe-gazing rockers?



Well, that’s easy: Reviewing that debut record 11 months after its release.



Better late than never, as they say.



In August of last year, Colonies, a four-piece made up of Travis Shumate, Christian Powers, Adam Meeks and Adrian Centoni who live in Seattle but have Tacoma ties, released Sleep Patterns – a seven song warning shot to the world announcing Colonies ambient and intellectual arrival to the world of new-school indie rock.



The only problem is this music writer didn’t get the call until early this month. That, as they say, is this music writer’s bad. Sitting in a pile of promotional CDs that clutter Weekly Volcano World Headquarters, I stumbled upon Sleep Patterns, and recognized the name Colonies from somewhere in my THC riddled memory banks. (Perhaps it was Izenmania’s blog post?)  That, and the fact that everything else in the promotional pile pretty much sucked this week, was all it took. This week, nearly 11 whole months after it hit the streets, the Weekly Volcano reviews Colonies’ Sleep Patterns.



The disc opens with its title track, combining a sparse and crisp guitar line with Shumate’s hushed, soft spoken, confessional lyrics – until the song combusts into a full fledged rocker 30 seconds into things. The occasion is just one of many on the disc that makes it readily apparent that Colonies appreciates the loud/soft dynamic bands like the Pixies and Nirvana utilized with such success. It’s an effective tool, and while I’m in no way comparing this band to either the Pixies or Nirvana, Colonies demonstrate they know their way around a loud/soft dynamic better than most.



Unfortunately for Sleep Patterns, it doesn’t take long for things to get repetitive. The disc’s second track, “Floating Fast,” mimics the first track’ softness and ambient beauty, but subtracts any bit of punch. This, apparently, was good enough for Colonies, and it isn’t until the third track, “Berlin! Berlin!,” that things get exciting again. Shumate, who sounds like he could be Ben Gibbard’s understudy at times, picks up the vocal pace, and along with an increased urgency from the rhythm section and guitarist Christian Powers. “Berlin! Berlin!” is far and away Sleep Patterns’ high point.



Other bright spots on the record include “La Batalla De San Miguel,” which embraces an exotic drumbeat and visceral pace to throw one of Sleep Patterns rare curveballs, and the record’s second to last track, “Sing to Me,” an effort made strong by its floating guitar work and piercing honesty. “Give me something innocent,” Shumate sings. “Give me something I can feel.”



With Sleep Patterns, Colonies has already given us something innocent and something to feel. Though the record could use a little more spice, for a debut, it sets the stage for big things to come. And since Sleep Patterns was released almost a year ago, those things to come may be just around the corner. According to the band’s Myspace page, Colonies is currently working on a follow up.



Stay tuned. Next time, thanks to a few spins through Sleep Patterns, the coverage will be much more timely.