Essentially Fleming is War Against Sleep. 'Messages' is the product of five years of collaboration with likeminded musicians in and around Bristol. In his head the ghosts of Bolan and Morrison dance hand-in-hand with Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and Elton John at his most fantastical, whilst Nick Cave hands the nibbles around. However, his music never sounds like a simple collage of easily defined influences; instead it's rich with imagination - tales of morbid obsession, narratives full of spacemen and razor-sharp humour are all complemented by music bearing an assured lo-fi swagger. Single 'Again Love Smashes Up My Mind' is only the tip of the controlled eccentricity at work on this album. Scratch below the surface and 'Messages' opens up to a bottomless melting pot of bizarre imagery. 'Evil Aliens' is, as its title suggests, about Evil Aliens; other tracks aren't so straightforward, and therein lies the beauty of a record that never gives an inch without taking a mile.
Overall, 'Messages' is difficult - persevere and it reveals its true depth; resist and accept your weaknesses. We all have them, but few have put them into song quite as well as Fleming does here. Listen in for a while but beware: the ghosts are watching.
