Sleeping States There the Open Spaces by: Mark Sims Tue:20-Nov-07 Label: Caspian Year: 2007 WB rating 90 out of 100

It would be difficult to find many releases of 2007 that are more touching than There the Open Spaces; the music of Sleeping States (the creation of Midlands-born Markland Starkie) an example of melody and minimalism being taken to their full potential.

Intimate tales told by a truly gifted musician, the album is themed on the city-versus-country dilemma (Starkie caught between life in London and his desire for the countryside and open spaces where he grew up). A sense of spirit and zeal seeps through each track, putting the listener into a dream-like state of haziness, one that complements this theme. Reality momentarily disappears, coherent thoughts pack their bags, and whatever was taking place before the music began might as well have never occurred. To put it simply: if more music was like There the Open Spaces, than the world would be a much better place.

Having spent a large part of his life learning various instruments and classical music theory, Starkie is one who finds the notion of the singer/songwriter “cheesy beyond belief”; avoiding strummed acoustic guitars and sappy ballads and putting his training to use – taking a minimalistic approach where melodic guitar solos create moments of contemplative warmth. Opting for detuned guitars and rarely having the sounds of drums in his music, Starkie generates an intimate ambiance; this quietude and his love of invention ensure There the Open Spaces is a place that’s hard to walk away from.

Opening with the overlapping a-capella ‘Rain Check’, Open Spaces packs a memorable intro, one that sets the tone for the album’s pensive mood: “When I’m getting ready/in spite of the rain/you sometimes ring me up and say/‘another time.” ‘Rivers’ transforms into a track of warmth; the delicateness of guitar joined by the rare sound of drums and the timidness of Starkie’s voice, backed by a fuzz that lingers throughout. It’s a track that sets the tone for the rest of the album; a personal piece that flows along effortlessly.

“I’ve been planning my escape/from the traps that I’ve set myself.”

‘Planning My Escape’, Starkie’s short but moving confession of how maybe he’s taken on a little too much, confined by rules and restrictions when it comes to life and music-making, is delicately aided along its path by reverb-laden guitar riffs and a sweetness in his voice that is impossible not to sympathise with. Other highlights include mesmeric lullaby ‘Contact Lunacy’, ‘September, Maybe’ and ‘I Wonder’; two tracks that move a little into more familiar indie-pop territory but that still stay true to the rest of the album.

Music that’s in no rush to get to where it wants to go, the songs of Sleeping States are highly meditative examples of Starkie’s attentiveness to the tiny intricacies that eventually weave into the listener’s subconscious. With exposure these contemplative pieces become more than just songs; they become close friends.