Many Super Bowl viewers were intrigued when Squarespace aired a commercial referencing a collaboration with actor Jeff Bridges on a project in which he built a website called dreamingwithjeff.com. Bridges is probably best known for his role in the Coen Brothers’ cult-classic film The Big Lebowski, in which he played the ultra-cool, ultra-laid back The Dude. As it turns out, The Dude’s laidback attitude and permanently relaxed state of mind weren’t much of an act for Bridges.
The website is set up so that viewers can listen to his new album Sleeping Tapes. It features a streaming feature along with various options to purchase the album––digital, vinyl, deluxe vinyl and cassette––and a brief explanation of No Kid Hungry, the charity to which all of the proceeds go.
Sleeping Tapes is a spoken word/ambient noise album made specifically to help listeners fall asleep. In the past two years or so, there has been a swell in popularity on YouTube of videos meant to aid in sleep, and apparently Bridges really appreciates this.
Some listeners may find the whole experience strange. The quiet speaking voices, the odd noises and trippy album art can certainly be shocking if you aren’t interested in relaxation noises. For insomniacs like myself, however, this is golden.
Sleeping Tapes is well-produced and well-thought out. The assorted ambient sounds blend together nicely; many of them are either unusual in themselves or incorporated in strange and interesting ways. If you need help sleeping at night or even if you’re just interested in a weird project by a weird actor, I would recommend Sleeping Tapes.
The digital version comes with all of the tracks in the format best suited for you. It’s name your own price, though there is a $0.50 minimum. The tape is a standard issue cassette available for $20. This is more of a collector’s item, but according to the site, the donation will “provide up to 200 meals” for hungry children.
The prices for the standard vinyl and the limited edition vinyl increase from there, and five box sets are currently up for auction on eBay.
There is an alternative to paying: you can do what I did and stream it for free off the website. Whatever you choose, to quote Bridges, “Sweat dreams, friend.”