Sometimes you just want a little peace and quiet, even if you’re hardcore heroes At The Drive In and Sparta founder Jim Ward. It was after a Sparta tour last year that Ward returned home and unplugged the amps, seeking a new way to approach the art of songwriting. He went into his home studio and carefully crafted and recorded 5 delicious, folk-tinged but firmly indie-leaning tunes that he’s released on the appropriately-titled Quiet EP, with help from friends in Ambulette and The Secret Life of Sparrows. Lest anyone accuse him of going soft, he’s formed a new Texan collective to bring a bit of grit and swagger to those songs: Sleepercar (not to be confused with the Chicago band of the same name) will release debut West Texas on the Doghouse Records imprint Civil Defense League in a couple of weeks. This is the project of a growing man - the dichotomy of confidence and desperation that made Ward’s previous projects so popular is still there, but it’s comfortably buried under several layers of weariness, experience, and satisfaction.

If that sounds like a country song, it’s no real surprise - Sleepercar embraces the folk-rock traditions of guys like Gram Parsons and Townes Van Zandt with the same slightly off-kilter, mid-90’s perspective that lead Jay Farrar and Gary Louris to lay the foundation for the subgenre we now know as “alternative country.” Although it’s a clear directional shift, fans of Ward’s more well-known projects won’t be disappointed by this intimate look at the man’s songwriting process and considerable melodic chops.

In yet another display of why we white people often threaten to move to Canada, the only Sleepcar dates current up on their Myspace are in British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta.

MP3: Sleepercar - A Broken Promise

MP3: Sleepercar - Fences Down

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