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04 April 2004
Sleeping at Last, Ghost (Interscope)
Oh, the power of right place, right time! This Chicago band places its album in the hand of Billy Corgan and a record deal ensues. But the band has the rock chops to back up Corgan's pursuit. "Say" has the Goo Goo Dolls, U2 and Gin Blossoms all rolled into a nice little package. Lead singer Ryan O'Neal is impressive while brother Chad provides one Edge-like fill after another. Travis and lesser-known Canadian band Pilate can be heard on orchestrated arena anthems like "Currents", the lullaby-like "Brightly" and "All That Is Beautiful". What is most surprising about this album is how a deserved buzz hasn't been made about it. Winding, melodic and winding again sets tunes such as "A Skeleton of Something More" and "Night Must End" above and beyond a lot of the current mainstream radio schlock. And you can also tell that the dreamy yet melancholic approach Corgan adheres to is a great influence on the band. "Hurry" has all the makings of "Disarm", for example. However, once in a while they overdo it, forcing the issue on "Slowly, Now". Despite that miscue, this is definitely a band on the rise!
— Jason MacNeil
.: posted by Editor 9:50 AM
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