Motorist — Sleep Aid EP

With haunting vocals backed by an experienced cast of musicians, local art rock outfit Motorist offers an impressive set of tracks on their debut Sleep Aid EP.

The band is composed entirely of young U-District residents and includes two products of the UW School of Music in drummer and 2007 alumnus Jess Alldredge and senior jazz studies major Luke Bergman. Alldredge and Bergman are joined by lead vocalist Robbie Johnston and Garret Sand on keyboard and guitar.

Motorist plays a very experimental brand of alternative rock that is highly reminiscent of Radiohead or The National. Each track is highly layered with everything from xylophone to wind chimes, contributing to Motorist’s complex, reverberating sound.

Johnston’s deep voice coupled with Sand’s synthesized keyboarding gives an especially poignant feel to the six tracks included on their debut EP.

The lyrics are written to match Johnston’s lingering vocals as they are often dark and reflective.

“Where did I place my simple love for life / or the mystery that once followed me wherever I’d go,” Johnston laments on the fifth track, “Lackluster.” The theme of Johnston’s song writing is consistently somber in theme and lends itself nicely to Motorist’s melodious tone.

On the album’s title track, Motorist ventures towards a more electronic sound, which combined with a highly rhythmic beat and reverberating lyrics, truly creates the effect of a sleep aid in the listener. The arrangement on “Sleep Aid” is especially inventive contrasting a synthesized undertone with the classic sounds of mandolin and piano.

The standout song on Sleep Aid is the mellow, “Swift/ Collision,” in which Johnston’s desolate lyrics are coupled beautifully with Bergman’s finger-style acoustic guitar. “My heart you sawed right through / like I was glass or transparent to you / my skin I shed anew / when I was breaking and I was through / I felt gravity fall away from me,” Johnson moans on the EP’s second track.

Many of the band members have been or are currently involved in other projects in addition to Motorist. However, the foursome has known each other since attending high school together in Ellensburg and the comfort level with one another is evident in their cohesive sound.

“The group is for fun, but we all have a desire to make a living through music,” Johnston said.

The self-released Sleep Aid is only 24 minutes in length, but the band’s talent is evident in the six-track EP. If the band can gain some recognition locally, a full-length set may be in the works.

“The scene is a bit saturated so we’re looking for opportunities to breakthrough,” Johnston said.

Motorist regularly plays shows at small venues in the Seattle area including the ToST Lounge in Fremont and Egan’s Ballard Jam House.