Sweet Sweet Melodies

The Narcoleptic Dancers - Never Sleep

The formation of The Narcoleptic Dancers is certainly an interesting one. The Dutch-French half brother and sister duo, who were born ten years apart and in different countries, came to be united at their father’s funeral. It was during this unlikely meeting, which I’m sure came as quite an extraordinary surprise, that the pair discovered a shared passion of music. And so The Narcoleptic Dancers were born.

     The folksy-pop album is a jolly collection of catchy, infectious songs, with irresistible beats and charm. The sweet, gentle melodies make for easy listening, and give this album a feel-good, relaxed ambiance. Indeed the light summery vibes make it easy to describe Never Sleep quite plainly as ‘happy music.’ Singer Melody Van Kappers delivers the songs in slightly mystic, husky manner, giving the album a rather eerie, hypnotic sound, particularly in breezy pop number Sweet And Soft. One thing has to be said for the singling though; it never changes tone. It is hard to discern any kind of emotion on this album, as each and every song is delivered in the same soothingly hypnotic manner. It’s all a bit monotonous really – let’s just say a change of key wouldn’t go amiss every now and again.

     Opening song and first single, Not Evident, is a bouncy, hand-clapping sort of tune – a bit of a ditty you could say. Plus the constant cries of “la la la la” are sure to get anyone, willing or otherwise, singing along to these infections beats. Similarly, the electro-pop Dusty Cowboy and acoustic folksy number Unique Tree are both delightfully upbeat, and are sure-fire toe-tappers that may leave listeners wanting to jig along. However, the sickly sweet manner in which these songs are delivered can begin to grain after a while, and the repetitive nature of the tunes does start to infuriate by the end. I guess you could say The Narcoleptic Dancers aren’t for everyone.

     With their fresh and original style, The Narcoleptic Dancers certainly stand out. Their quirky, folk-pop makes a pleasant change from what we are used to hearing, and their light, cheery melodies are certainly appealing. Although it has to be said that these sugar-coated, carefree child-like sing-alongs can become rather irritating after a while, and the repetitive tendencies are likely to take permanent residence in your brain and drive you insane. But for a bit of a pick-me-up, these perky poppy delights are sure to do the trick.


**As seen in The Motion Online**