The Society Islands
The Big Sleep
(TRC – The Record Company)

The Society Islands’ The Big Sleep is the solo project of the Cologne, Germany-based singer and multi-instrumentalist Boris Rogowski.

The floaty opener, “Square 1,” reveals Rogowski’s good control of his falsetto and his obvious knowledge of where to place his drums. I like The Edge-like attack of the guitars and the driving bass of “In the Water” and the simple groove of the echoey keys and flicking (like The Edge again) guitar to the first real mover here, “Cheap Life.”

“Blood Tide” opens with distorted guitar and scary oscillating keys; we’re in some early ’90s goth music territory here. But mid-way, guitars plink out an off beat and things get loud with single notes and big brushes of keys. Rogowkis’s guitar stylings are especially evident here.

Vocalist Isabelle Holder duets with Rogowski on the delicate and moody “Gone.” The Oasis-sounding key bleed of “Archer” features truly expressive vocals from Rogowski and a plucked piano creates quite the aural landscape (again another great production) on “Stargazer,” another favorite of mine.

Rogowski is helped here by Moishe Lichtfuss on saxophone, Benedikt Filleboeck playing trumpet and Eva Bardo and the afore noted Isabelle Holder on vocals.

Boris Rogowski’s The Society Islands’ The Big Sleep is very good stuff indeed.