Sleeper, “The It Girl” (Arista, 1995). Second album by this punk-inflected Britpop group finds their songwriting flourishing into a distinctively English romanticism that recalls the Jam at their most lyrical, as well as Heavenly’s then-contemporary work; and they rock harder than ever. Try 6, 7.
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Sleeper, “Smart” (Arista, 1994). Like their contemporaries Elastica, this group played loud-guitar Britpop w/a debt to Blondie and Elvis Costello, but they better grasped the subtlety of those artists’ approach to songwriting, and rocked harder, too. Try 1, 5, 13.
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