Some songs don’t have to beg for your attention; they simply take it the moment you hear them play. Sleepless in Seattle, the latest single from The Mack Brothers (John and Matthew Mackara) has that quality. The moment the guitar begins to unfold, the song feels like a step into someone’s restless thoughts: familiar, slightly hazy, beautifully rough around the edges, yet strangely comforting.
The song carries the spirit of a classical rock song, the attitude of indie music and an almost dreamlike atmosphere that makes you want to stay inside the song a little longer. And while The Mack Brothers draw inspiration from U2, The Strokes,
Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, and even Frank Sinatra but they do not sound anything like them, this sound is of two brothers who found their own voice. The more you listen, the more you realize that their sound comes from their own experiences.
The brothers describe themselves as being in their “Revolver/Sgt. Pepper’s Phase” and that description says a lot about where their minds are creatively. They’re clearly exploring, experimenting and seeing how far their ideas can go.
One interesting thing about Sleepless in Seattle is that it did not begin as some perfectly planned composition. It started as a jam session. From the original session, only the riff survived. Everything else was built around it.
The first verse came from an older song that had eventually been discarded but it found a new home here. The song then developed into something much more personal.
“Sleepless in Seattle” talks about aging, looking at your past and realizing that your past and present do not always agree with each other. That subject is one most people can understand.
Growing older has a strange way of making you look at your younger self differently. The things that once seemed important may no longer matter. Decisions you once felt so sure about can look completely different years later. Sometimes, you find yourself conversing with your younger self, a version that no longer exists.
That feeling is present in this song, but The Mack brothers don’t hit the listeners over the head with it. They let the music carry much of the emotion. The result is reflective without overly being tense.
Personally, one of the strongest parts of the song is the guitar work. There’s just something about the way the guitar interacts throughout the song. They do not just provide a basic rock backdrop. They seem to move around, creating different textures and moods as the song develops. Sometimes, it feels rough and intense, other times, it becomes softer and dreamlike.
The guitar leads, melodies and harmonies add another layer of personality to the song. It gives the track some sort of memorable moment. The contrast between the heavier guitar parts and the more melodic sections makes the arrangement even more enjoyable.
At some point, you feel like the music is pulling you somewhere rather than simply playing in front of you.
As impressive as the instrumentation is, the vocals remain the emotional center of the record. The vocal performance compliments the world created by the guitar and it just perfectly fits. There’s something being said and you can feel every bit of it.
The drums are another important part of that connection. The beat, fills, breaks and accents are placed carefully, helping the song move naturally from one section to another.
Perhaps the best way to describe the unusual character of this song comes from Retro Judah, who described it as: Like id Dean Martin was the lead singer of Kings of Leon.” Honestly, the description might sound strange until you listen to the song. Then it makes sense.
Behind the music, John and Matthew are not simply making songs at a random point of their lives. They are entering a new chapter. Matthew recently became a father while John is expecting his first child. That naturally changes the way you look at
life.
Suddenly, your music stops being about the present. You begin thinking about what you’re leaving behind. You start to wonder what your children might hear one day. You begin to understand that the songs you create today could become part of your family’s memories tomorrow.
The song’s title might trick you into expecting a song about Seattle, a romantic story inspired by a famous film or perhaps some late-night adventure in the city but none of these things apply. The Mack brothers have never been to Seattle. The phrase came from John himself. It’s a personal expression that found it’s way into the band’s music and eventually became a song.
If you’re a lover of Indie rock, this record is one you’ll enjoy.
The Mack Brothers may currently call this their Revolver/Sgt. Pepper’s phase, but if Sleepless in Seattle is any indication of where that journey is taking them, this could be one of their most exciting chapters yet.
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