Tim Bettinson, the singer-songwriter/producer at the helm of Australian pop outfit Vancouver Sleep Clinic, is not the type of musician to hit the audience over its head. On the full-length debut Revival, Bettinson’s blue-eyed falsetto remains decidedly gentle — think Coldplay’s Chris Martin, but with the melodrama dialed back a notch — while the music invites you to luxuriate in its pillowy keyboards. Bettinson, who tours with a live band, sprinkles the music with organic and electronic beats, but still manages to maintain a feeling of tempo-lessness, as if the music remains still the whole time. Repeated listens reveal a sense of confidence and assertion at the core of Revival. Bettinson barely raises his voice on lines like “Can somebody pick me up,” but he still manages to sound like he’s fighting for his life. Vancouver Sleep Clinic may be easy on the ears, but its music makes a rather sturdy support for difficult emotions. SABY REYES-KULKARNI
Vancouver Sleep Clinic
