The Cover

Using that super-cheesy way of describing the unknown, I would call After the War, Band of Brothers meets David Lynch meets Wilco. Sure that's a bit high concept, but it works. Every song is about war, about the experience, about longing.

Explicitly, After the War is about World War II, made with modern pop hooks and conventions. It may sound like something jarring and even impossible to accomplish, but Sleep Station manages cohesiveness in concept and imagery. The album is a concept album of sorts, charting soldiers' experiences both during and yes, after the war. The band even uses the mixed media of 40's recording equipment and radio sounds to create a haunting and melodic soundstage, at times sounding like an aural representation of a David Lynch movie, only to jump into a 70's ballad kick that at once contrasts and compliments the subject (check out the track "After the War".)

Even without the support of the more eclectic sounds and textures, the songs stand on their own.
Upon first listen, they sound a lot like Wilco, deftly mixing the sounds of Americana with something far more ethereal and filled with longing. After the War is a fantastic, evocative album.

Music Grade: A-

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