welcome to the night sky
Honestly, I had never heard of the Canadian band Wintersleep until they recently played in Auntie Annies (to rave reviews): I've been making up for lost time, however. Their 2007 release "Welcome To The Night Sky" is a wonderful album from the very start to the last drum beat. Their third album is anthemic rock at its finest, veering between up tempo pedal to the metal pieces, simple catchy folksy songs and complex post rock symphonies.
Lyrically, it can be disappointing at times: "Weighty Ghost" and "Search Party" are filled with sweeping questions and statements that take the sheen off some excellent tracks. However, it's instrumentally flawless: the drumming is superb, with complex rhythms driving forth tracks such as "Drunk On Alumininum". Despite the lyrical limitations there's a great attention to detail: there aren't any passengers in Wintersleep. Paul Murphy's vocals can be tender and vulnerable when needed, or raw and loud, such as in "Archaeologists". I've read that he's a bit of an intellectual and refers to Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes as influences- it can be a little aloof at time, a little surreal, but it's a good thing.
The guitar riffs and parts are tight: the melodies are dreamy, soaring and a little eerie at times. It's pretty unsurprising to discover Tony Doogan produced this album: he's an absolute master at harnessing this sort of sound (he produced Mogwai's "Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait" and Snow Patrol's "When It’s All Over We Still Have To Clear Up", two of my favourite albums of all time). The crowning glory of the album is "Miasmal Smoke & the Yellow Bellied Freaks" (a hell of a title): an eight minute post rock extravaganza featuring organs, insane drumming and lyrics I simply don't understand. Welcome To The Night Sky is an musical rollercoaster that doesn't know exactly where it's going- all it knows is that the journey is going to be incredible.
Check out "Drunk On Aluminum" at the bottom of the post.