Wintersleep - Welcome to the Night Sky

Halifax heroes Wintersleep keep venturing deeper into alt-rock space. On its third album, the band jettisons its Pearl Jam affectations for more experimental sonic explorations. Although there’s a bit too much R.E.M. influence in the rollicking “Astronaut,” ambitious songs like “Dead letter & the infinite yes” and “Miasmal smoke & the yellow bellied freaks” are strikingly original. And “Oblivion,” with its talk of light rays and cosmic dust, is an infectious anthem about humanity’s dubious role in the universe.