Given that Brit guitarist-songwriter Neil Halstead's work with both Slowdive and Mojave 3 is as sleepy as it is pretty, you'd think his first solo record would provide him the chance to stretch and maybe even break a string in pursuit of a bona fide rock moment. Instead, Halstead's Sleeping on Roads--basically, a home recording featuring a bunch of his friends contributing everything from "computer skills and technical stuff" to "funny noises"--dims the lights even more. While tracks like the chiming, trumpet-tweaked opener "Seasons" point to a keen sense of melody, Halstead wastes no time in shifting the mood, and gaslight weepers like "Martha's Mantra (for the Pain)," "High Hopes," and "Dreamed I Saw Soldiers"--all almost unbearably downcast ruminations--dominate the set. Still, Halstead's delicate touch with guitar and his barely-there vocals sustain the sense of quiet introspection throughout the album's nine tracks. Winsome, ethereal folk never sounded so good, or so haunted. --Kim Hughes
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