SLEEPERS

I've tried to like this album but there is no way, even after many listens. This mostly reminds me of Fish era MARILLION, actually this reminds me too much of their work if you know what I mean. And then there are some songs that do nothing for me at all.

"Sleepers" opens with 1 1/2 minutes of distant sounding orchestral and operatic female vocals before the guitars and drums arive. Actually it's 3 minutes before a full sound comes in. The vocals seem uninspired on this track to me, although the guitar solo after 6 minutes has some inspiration behind it. This has a distinct early MARILLION sound to it. "Julie Anne" is another Fish-era MARILLION sounding tune. Organ,piano and soaring guitar all are well done. This is a good mellow song. "Live And Learn" has some good organ and piano melodies, the uptempo sections are well done. Actually the vocals here really remind me of Geddy Lee's vocals from the mid to late eighties.

"Dentist Song" is a pleasant, mid paced song. "Pictures Of Bliss" features acoutic guitar and fragile vocals. "Before, After And Beyond" turns out ok after an intro which I don't like at all.The guitar and vocals are the focus. "Exorcising Demons" is about child abuse and it opens with the sounds of children playing.The percussion is good, but this one is all about the lyrics. "Middleground" is a love song. Yikes ! "Amaranth" has some good guitar and vocals throughout. An electronic beat arrives after 7 minutes as well as samples.They would explore these sounds to a greater degree on "Following Ghosts".The dreamy section with synths is the best part of the song.

2.5 stars because to these ears this isn't very good.