Sleep and Wake-Up Songs

This EP (following 2003’s Down the River of Golden Dreams) finds the band back with yet another excellent batch of depressingly beautiful narrative songs, united by the theme of sleep/waking-up. It's indie pop with a tinge of country and folk. There's a surprising amount of elusiveness to these songs than I expected: from the lack of details about the characters involved to the ambiguity of themes. Actually the entire EP seems a little uncharacteristic of the band, or at least the band in Down the River. The instruments (acoustic and electric guitar, organ, piano) sound a little loose­--there's a very casual and free-wheeling feel. The singer conveys a melancholy with such sweet lethargy­, which is especially fitting. If you're not convinced at first listen, these songs will grow on you. FCC clean.

**1. Pretty monotone but breaks out into moments of climatic vocals and more instrumentation. Layered vocals. Seems to be about sexual confusion and abandonment. (5:59)
2. Sparse acoustic guitar rhythm over sort of detached delivery of a song about relationships and confinement. (3:05)
3. Chock full of imagery contrasting a dream world and the real world. Very slow and subdued. (4:20)
**4. Tingling acoustic guitar melody. The desperate pleas for "more time" are so sincere, how could anyone refuse? (4:08)
5. Clever title for a song that seems to be about uncertainty. Lots of little crescendos. (4:26)