“I play everything on this record,” says Robbie Lee, “from the bells to the bass clarinet. The guitars are just the obvious part.” This only begins to describe Sleep, Memory, the debut collection of songs from the New York-based songwriter/instrumentalist. Comprising three suites and two interludes, the record is not quite a concept album, although its structure is mathematically governed. The sonic atmosphere of decaying guitars that warps these catchy pop songs recalls that "life is but a dream," but Sleep, Memory’s real foundation lies in the moments of its creation, the cracked but sober psychedelia that comes from being awake too late at night.
Robbie began playing piano at age 5 and saxophones from age 9. He quickly branched out into other related instruments, like odd bamboo flutes and a clarinet specifically made for horseback riding, appreciating the subtleties of less familiar sounds. When he began singing and writing songs, he followed the same approach, adding unusual string instruments, bells, whistles, and anything else he could get his hands on to his arrangements.
The music on Sleep, Memory reflects Lee’s love of the extremes of pop music, from the classic songwriting harmonies of the Beach Boys, the Kinks, and Hank Williams, to the maverick experimentation of noisy heroes like Keiji Haino, Moondog, John Fahey, and Giacinto Scelsi. Others whose inspiration is felt (but maybe not heard) include Abdullah Ibrahim, Morton Feldman, Michael Hurley, J.S. Bach, Albert Ayler, the Who, and all of the John Lennons and Lou Reeds of the world. But this is not pastiche, nor is it derivative: the result is a bold combination that couldn’t have been made by anyone else but Robbie Lee. Sleep, Memory is a unique and personal vision, weird and mysterious but eminently accessible.
Aside from writing, performing, and recording his own music, Lee has produced and recorded other up and coming groups (from the gorgeously voiced singer Lia Kessel to the avant-garde doo wop group White, Blue, Yellow and Clouds) in his jerry-rigged studio in downtown Manhattan.
Press quotes:
"Sleep, Memory is a right pretty, unabashed pop record. New York multi-instrumentalist Robbie Lee does wonderful things with soulful, longing lyrics and traditional pop melodies….. There is a jovial, natural weirdness to Lee’s tunes and a folksy, almost country-ish twang to his voice and guitar that at times is reminiscent of Tim Buckley."
-Sean Molnar, Signal To Noise
"Using odd instrumentation and alternative arrangements, Sleep, Memory is the kind of CD that will be greater for its lasting impact on future generations of musicians than for its immediate reception."
-Up and Coming Magazine
"This suite of hand-crafted indie/post rock gems flows like a perfect playlist does, styles sliding up against each other in perfect contrast and connection. Take how the strident folk-rocker 'Pileated' with its snoozy psychedelic and ringing chiming chords echoing over the mostly acoustic structure migrates into to the Hazy daydream 'Anatomy of Melancholia' and tube-warmed flashback like the first My Morning Jacket album and old Big Star stuff. It works like a rotating gem, where different facets catch the light as the album progresses."
-Alex V Cook, Outsideleft Magazine
"'Salt Song' recalls Sparklehorse’s nighttime folk, while “Whirr” uses an elastic sax and some banjo to make you go 'Wha???' You’ll remember this whether you dreamt it or not."
- Illinois Entertainer
