Sleep Station - The Pride of Chester James

Eyeball Records

Much like Neutral Milk Hotel, Magnetic Fields and Of Montreal, Sleep Station is mostly the work of one musician/mad scientist. New Jersey native David Debiak has been releasing thought provoking concept albums under this guise for the past few years. While his earlier work found him playing within the confines of indie guitar rock, his last couple of releases were much harder to pin down style wise. His unorthodox instrumentation and kitchen sink production techniques have widened the scope and really taken Debiak's songs onto another level all-together.

The foundation for most of the songs on The Pride of Chester James are the clean guitars that are most prominent on "Tired of Me Now" and "Settle On Your Name." From there they venture into country, folk and REM inspired jangle. The quieter moments are usually tempered with hints of dissonance giving them a haunting quality. Some of the more challenging moments reminded me of A Ghost Is Born era Wilco but Debiak's ambition never out reaches his talent. Instead, he shows his command over the lost art of the vocal melody. He explores every harmony, refrain, note bend and he never leaves a alluring moment too soon. The summery swing of "Our Carnival" closes out the proceedings and its melancholic tone fits the spirit of the album.

Review by Carlos Ramirez