In the age of digital manipulation and pitch perfect pre-manufactured pop, it’s almost impossible to find an album as emotionally evocative as Welcome to the Night Sky. Musically, the album is reminiscent of a night spent alone, staring at the midnight starry sky—and like those nights, Welcome to the Night Sky is a quiet and
introspective experience.
The album is a masterpiece of melancholic pop, raw and emotional. Solemn, swirling guitars are the centrepiece of the albums best moments like in the album opener “Drunk on Aluminum.” Vocalist Paul Murphy’s voice is expressive, but not overwrought and whining, a rare combination in the days of indie rock histrionics. On songs like “Laser Beams” and “Murderer,” Murphy’s understated delivery is intense and personal, like the greatest of folk singers, but instead of a lonely acoustic guitar, there’s a band performing some of the best instrumentals on a record in 2007.
Welcome to the Night Sky is a rarity in
the burgeoning and increasingly mediocre field of indie rock—an album
that doesn’t beat you over the head with whining or seem over-indulgent in it’s attempt to provide an epic listening experience. Instead, Welcome to the Night Sky provides an earnest listening experience, full of moody pop perfect for an evening at home.