On
Ghosts, its debut for Interscope, Chicago's
Sleeping at Last nestles its earnest little songs into a lush fold of production wizardry. It's not a bad choice. The trio has an obvious admiration for the atmospherics of
Unforgettable Fire-era
U2, and
Ryan O'Neal's quivering vocals mesh well with the sheets of luxurious reverb and yearning strings that haunt the corners of
Ghosts. It's this ambitious board work that takes tracks like "Say" and "Currents" to a dreamland far beyond the yearning yet straightforward modern rock of a group like
Lifehouse. Like that band,
Sleeping at Last came out of the alternative CCM movement, and this is apparent in lyrics that dwell on spiritual and faith issues. "God will you help us understand the meaning of it all?"
O'Neal sings on the piano-driven title track. It's a plea, for sure. But the song's insular
Radiohead austerity tinges
O'Neal's prayer with something darker. After an overture, it ends in a cracked whisper. "Like a moth to the flames/We become helpless." But as questioning of galactic forces as
Sleeping at Last can be, it's also a band full of limpid, bright-eyed hope. Sunlight bursts through the moody clouds in the form of "Skeleton of Something More"'s irresistible chorus melody, while the shimmering dream pop of "Brightly" and "Night Must End" suggests the rakish, sometimes raucous sound of young U.K. combos like
Muse or
JJ72. After all,
O'Neal, his drumming brother
Chad O'Neal, and bassist pal
Dan Perdue are young guys, too. They're allowed to dress up their hopes, confusion, and questioning anger with sumptuous soundscapes, and invite listeners into the dream world their band name suggests.
Ghosts could have easily become yet another album bleeding emo-inflected tears for the torturous souls of its creators. Instead, it's a life-size star map flecked with glimmering jewels of melody and the wondering promise of youth. ~ Johnny Loftus