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Rating: The South African waves, especially those at J-Bay, are among the most renowned and spectacular in the world.
When I searched for African rock albums to get a sense of what was coming out of South Africa, I was pleasantly surprised and swept away by this album.
And being a very poor surfer myself, I was overwhelmed and pulled down into the blue by a giant wave.
Sleep Armed by the Kalahari Surfers from 1988 is a unique album that also contains plenty of experimental and atmospheric material, punctuated by gentle noise.
Its intent is to help immerse the listener in the politics of South Africa during the late administration of P. W. Botha, a time when the country’s changes practically brought verkrampte society— that of the conservative whites— to its knees. The album features elements of prog, post punk, and South African jazz.
With its one-of-a-kind nature, it’s also surprising that the album benefited from such extraordinary and forward-thinking production.
Tracks like Hoe Ry Die Boere, Potential Aggressor, Greatest Hits, This Land, Protect the People of South Africa, and others, bask in an underlying anxiety that highlights both uncertainty for the future and the intolerable status quo of racism in South Africa. Songs like Houghton Parents, Healthy Way of Life, and Mafikeng Road have aged like a fine brandy in the sea of hypertrophic production from the '80s and '90s.
Maybe because they always have something right to remember.
However, the album isn’t without its flaws. Warrick Sony (though extraordinarily talented) is not the best voice for the dramatic subjects tackled by the album.
His performance seems weakened by his monotone timbre, which at times makes the songs flat or even a little awkward.
The singer on the title track also doesn’t seem to have much confidence in her voice (even though she is a very good singer). But we forgive them everything— he’s certainly a performer with a friendly chic approach.
Despite its flaws, the album is still thoroughly enjoyable and quite interesting.
Perhaps it’s not an album for all tastes, but it’s a great record. For me, even excellent.
Beautiful cover, with a d’antan style, somewhat jazz '50s.
Now that I’m done, let’s see if I can catch the right wave.
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