Sleeps with the Fishes
| Sleeps with the Fishes | |||||||||||
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| Studio album by Pieter Nooten and Michael Brook | |||||||||||
| Released | 12 October 1987 | ||||||||||
| Recorded | 1987 | ||||||||||
| Studio | Blackwing Studios, London, England | ||||||||||
| Genre | Dark wave, ambient, gothic rock | ||||||||||
| Length | 47:38 | ||||||||||
| Language | English | ||||||||||
| Label | 4AD | ||||||||||
| Producer | Michael Brook | ||||||||||
| Pieter Nooten chronology | |||||||||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Opus.fm | (very positive) |
| Peek-a-Boo | (10/10) |
Sleeps with the Fishes is the lone collaborative album from Clan of Xymox founding member Pieter Nooten and guitarist/producer Michael Brook, released by 4AD on 12 October 1987. Intended as Nooten's debut solo album after a brief split from Clan of Xymox, the record turned into a collaboration with Brook after a suggestion from 4AD label founder and boss Ivo Watts-Russell. Though not a huge commercial success, Sleeps with the Fishes was described by AllMusic as "essential listening for fans of 4AD, ambient music, minimalism, experimental electronic music, and morose themes alike... an overlooked masterpiece."
According to Martin Aston's 2013 book Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD, the genesis of the album formed after Pieter Nooten left Clan of Xymox in 1987 (leader Ronny Moorings subsequently restored the band's name to simply 'Xymox'). "For me, Pieter was the heart of Xymox, and taking him out, they became much more like their influences. Pieter was more interested in classical music at that point," said Ivo Watts-Russell. Nooten had told Watts-Russell that he had some "basic, but still intimate, melancholic material," which the label boss had appreciated and responded with the offer of making a solo album. Watts-Russell chose London's Blackwing Studios as the recording location, but Nooten claims he "couldn't bring anything fresh to [the recordings]... we needed new blood." Watts-Russell was a fan of the Editions EG Records label, and suggested Canadian ambient guitarist and producer Michael Brook, whose debut album Hybrid (featuring Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois) had caught the label boss's ear. "Michael's input was so large, it became a joint record... I was really enjoying Roger Eno and Michael's first album, so I loved releasing something in that vein, combined with Pieter's melodies," said Watts-Russell. Nooten hailed Brook as "the ultimate producer - calm, thoughtful, highly skilled and, above all, a brilliant guitarist. We shared the same approach to the material: subtle, sensitive, thoughtful, intimate and intense." A number of tracks on Sleeps with the Fishes were re-recorded from previous Clan of Xymox contributions: "Equal Ways" from 1985's Clan of Xymox, and "After the Call" and "Theme I" (herein renamed "Clouds" and featuring vocals and lyrics) from 1986's Medusa.
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