In the Music Spectrum categories (see sidebar), the one called Atmoshperic/Psych/Prog covers a lot of territory which means the bands settled into that category can seem pretty disparate. Prog Rock’s excesses seem a far cry from some of the indie bands that might be considered Atmospheric. Yet, that’s where I placed the Tragically Hip. Despite their ability to craft a forward moving song, there’s definitely a way in which their songs create moving worlds illustrated by chords, lyrics, and rhythms. (For more explanation, see the retrospective review of Day for Night).
It’s in this same vein that Wintersleep gets placed in Atmospheric category. Like the Tragically Hip, Wintersleep hails from Canada, coupling Band Rock with keyboard-led spaciousness, aural contemplations of starry skies and bigger worlds, charged by electrified guitars riffing their way to the front of your consciousness. Much like how the Church (the band) stood at the edge of nighttime horizons chanting harmonies over rock ‘n’ roll, Wintersleep’s New Inheritors musically seeks out an inner space that’s connected to far-flung universes.
