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Album Review
For most people, the name Sleeping
at Last won’t strike a bell. At least not yet. Hailing
from the Chicago music scene where they have developed a
strong local following, Sleeping at Last is poised to
turn heads and attract a large crowd of listeners with
their first major label release on Interscope.
It seems that the musical climate is right for a band
like Sleeping at Last, who displays a fresh, new sound in
conjunction with beautiful lyrics. We have seen
Coldplay
become a success by simply creating quality music,
regardless of thoughts about what will be a hit radio
single. Sleeping at Last very much has that same spirit
to their music.
Listing influences as diverse as
Radiohead,
Sunny Day Real Estate, Smashing Pumpkins, and U2, the
band’s new release Ghosts does a highly credible
job of forging its own sound that is first and foremost
an artistic achievement. The music is both driving and
soothing, with an emphasis on soaring atmosphere that can
oftentimes cause goose bumps. In the midst of this
moving, gorgeous music somehow the songs contain that
little something that makes them very easy to listen to
on a constant basis. The vocals of Ryan O’Neal remind of
a smoother, less angst-filled Thom Yorke (of Radiohead)
as his voice seamlessly glides along adding character to
the music.
The lyrics on Ghosts are amazing. The songs
would undoubtedly stand well on their own simply as
poetry on a page. There is a definite emphasis on faith
through life’s ups and downs in the way that Ryan O’Neal
pens his songs. This is meaningful music that can
certainly make a difference in the midst of an industry
in which there is little meaning to be found.
In the song “Brightly,” one of the album’s most crucial
moments, O’Neal sings, “We rise and fall from you. We
rise and fall far from you. Climb, climb, climb. We fall.
May we run from the sins of the past, the sharpest words
we cast. Begin again.” The song creates a moment of
near epic proportion as it seems to sum up the story of
humanity in one fell swoop. The song concludes with the
words, “Trace these fingerprints closely now. And
they will form what you are looking for. We’ll make new
prints once more.”
The closing track “Trees” seems to be that one musical
experience that the rest of the album is built around as
O’Neal releases the words, “My ear is pressed upon
this wall for behind it is that place. The door is
locked, but I’ll do whatever it takes. You’ve got to
trust me, I know where I’m going. Will you follow me.
Will you follow me still.” With the moving sound of
the music, “Trees” becomes one of the most solid songs
that the world has seen in quite a while.
Sleeping at Last’s album is rich and fulfilling on so
many levels. Chicago has kept this secret long enough.
Now everyone is ready to partake in one of the very best
albums of the year.
~
Trae Cadenhead
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