Keep No Score

Description

Keep No Score is the third album by the American indie-pop band Sleeping at Last, self-released in 2006.

Even with only two full-length albums under their creative belt, the Chicago-based trio known as Sleeping At Last is becoming synonymous with sweeping rock anthems. Featuring brothers Chad and Ryan O’Neal, along with Dan Perdue, the band first became noticed when a demo and Billy Corgan crossed paths. Interscope Records soon entered the picture and the future was born. Their debut album, Ghosts, was a record that most artists can only dream of making. The piano-driven, atmospheric hooks displayed a musical artistry far beyond their years. However, things went awry and now the band finds themselves independent again. So be it. Whatever the label is, the music is still the same. Beautiful from the outset, songs such as opening track «Tension and Thrill» and «Careful Hands» feature the same string section as before. The difference here is a freedom to further explore new territory as well as permission to not have to chase the radio single. At the very least, Keep No Score is musical poetry in motion. [Matt Conner, HM Magazine, September/October 2006 (Issue #121)]

‘Keep No Score’ seems to be a very good album released at the wrong time. I could be wrong, but the intelligent, College rock on display here seems to have gone by the wayside recently in favor of Pop-punk sounds and Brit-pop piano bands. Sleeping At Last deserves better treatment than local obscurity and I hope many fans of Switchfoot, REM, and Travis will give a closer listen.

Musically, the band stretches their sound beyond what we heard on previous major release, ‘Ghosts‘. ‘Keep No Score’ adds more vibrant string arrangements and allows each instrument to stand out on their own. All of the music acts as a proper support for the fragile tenor of lead singer Ryan O’Neal. His voice falls somewhere in the vicinity of Jars of Clay‘s Dan Heseltine, never feeling quite comfortable in its own sound, but allowing the emotions to be up-front and center in the delivery.

«Needle & Thread» stands out in its organic simplicity and sense of quiet. The following track, «Envelope», with its battered drums and striking minor-chords on guitar creates a different, yet flavorful, sound, demonstrating that this band doesn’t just rely on O’Neal’s voice. Each member plays an equal part in creating the band’s striking sounds.

In stretching their sound, a few tracks («Hold Still», «Sing to Me») sound a little too tied to the post-Radiohead sounds emerging from Britain. Also, a few too many songs have a slower beat, leading to an overarching sense of melancholy to the disc. But, don’t let that scare you away. ‘Keep no Score’ is definitely recommended for those of you that want to hear some strong, downbeat College rock. [Jonathan Nelson, The Phantom Tollbooth, 2006]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/keep-no-score/165902369)

CD tracklist:

01. Tension & Thrill – 4:35
02. Careful Hands – 4:07
03. Needle & Thread – 4:58
04. Envelopes – 4:30
05. Hold Still – 4:48
06. Heaven Breaks – 3:53
07. Levels Of Light – 4:06
08. Quicksand – 4:18
09. Umbrellas – 4:23
10. Sing To Me – 3:45
11. Dreamlife – 5:03
12. Keep No Score – 2:40

Note: Originally released on CD only. Re-issued as a 12-inch vinyl double LP in 2012.

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