Perhaps the best thing about Sleep Whale’s debut EP Little Brite is that fact that it is only an EP. I don’t mean that in any backhanded sort of way, but quite the contrary; it works remarkably well as a short, concise collection of songs. The tracks all flow and make sense together, and share a similar enough sound to fit congruently into the twenty-six minute run time.

On Little Brite, this “sound” is primarily acoustic guitar, and it’s wonderfully refreshing to see an artist wrest a unique sound from six strings without running it through some pedal board that inevitably bears more resemblance to an airplane control panel than anything musical. Joel North (responsible for both guitar and cello) takes a decidedly “kitchen sink” approach to his acoustic, throwing in slides, harmonics, and percussive mutes and slaps - sometimes all at once! This is the case in “Josh Likes Me”, which is sure to give any guitar nerds a hot flash or two. The other half of the duo, responsible for violin and all matter of electronic wizardry, Bruce Blay, seemingly plays around (or, rather, right through) North’s guitar, laying down drones, pulses, and processing gracefully and sparingly, helping to maintain the organic atmosphere.

The songs all incorporate all of the aforementioned elements, which proves to be both the record’s greatest asset and most glaring flaw: songs seldom break the formula established from the get-go in “Skipping Stones”. Expect a lovely acoustic melody augmented with cello/violin drones, electronic warping here and there, as well as the occasional outburst of skittering percussion in more or less each of the six songs. Which is a shame, because when the duo branches out, such as the gorgeous cello and violin duet that brings the final two minutes of “Sleep Whale” to a close, the results are brilliant.

That being said, the mild sameness is forgivable when it is doesn’t drag into monotony, which Sleep Whale handily avoid with a smart album structure. No idea stays in place long enough to become irritating, and the relatively short length and quick pace keep the EP engaging. Joel and Bruce have found a wonderfully warm, beautiful, and distinctive sound; a fleshed-out full-length could easily put this duo on the map.

-Calvin Young