SING SING
SLEEPWALKER

“Nostalgia has a tarnished reputation. But arriving arm in arm with Quality, heads will turn and the couple are the life of the party.

I most certainly have a nostalgic attachment to Sing Sing Sleepwalker, a strong contender for my second-favorite Portland band of ever (behind, of course, the almighty Cool’R). But it wasn’t just the stoking of late-1980s memory that made the band’s reunion set Saturday night at the Gemini so special. Time has been very kind to this bunch. Greg Paul’s songs — dark, delicate gems that somehow float like ghosts, beguile like flower girls and punch like street toughs, often all at once — remain marvels. Jack Inglis’ voice still cuts like a dapper gentleman’s dagger. Armin Bestil’s artful aggression with a guitar still makes an ideal foil for Paul’s own six-string blend of science and poetry. And the rhythm, anchored by drummer Eric Alto’s admirably clean, straightforward style, gets new sophistication from the supple bass playing of Jim James Wallace (replaceing the late Jeff Paul, whose punk-inspired drive is missed at moments).

When they play again, do go hear them.”