Sleep Station

Writing a concept record about a war might seem a bit lofty for most bands, but if you consider Sleep Station's apt penchant for cinematic scope and big ideas, it's a perfectly logical muse. The band did, after all, paint a heartbreaking portrait with their debut -- and homage to an astronaut's panicked isolation on Hang in there Charlie and then once again on the recent Von Cosel EP (which was based on a real life 1930's doctor/patient TB love triangle), so what better setting for the extreme castes of topical human drama than a war, or better yet World War II. Sleep Stations carefully nuanced lyrical/musical ambitions are as much influenced by their sonic-fetishist impulse, as well as Dave Debiak’s hermetic work ethic. Debiak, along with Daniel Goodwin, Ryan Ball and Brad Paxton, recorded much of After The War at their collective home studio, Electric Fence, in New Jersey. Regardless of subject matter or sonic subtext -- it's clearly Debiak's role as narrator that truly captivates, his empathy for the individuals he has created coupled with the band's sonic blast of 70's AM Gold is wholly engrossing. The record unfolds as a parade of characters weave in and out of the songs, tales of hope and longing collide with a bitter expanse of humanity -- all the while amplified by the backdrop of conflict. As Debiak purges these tales from his psyche he is giving voice to a world that thankful isn't wholly his, but ultimately as open ended as the listener dare dream - a beautiful concept indeed.