Beaten Awake’s melodies drift like a riverboat ride over jangling guitars and sympathetic peals of organ. The album has an engaging vibe that invites you to escape with it. “Goin’ Nowhere” is more insistent than its title suggests, mining a folk rock vein that recall Fables-era R.E.M. Highlights include the bubbling, Shinslike psych pop of “Browns Town” and “Broken Fang,” which shimmers like a rainstorm. None shines brighter than “Ghost Bought a Bicycle,” which begins as a parched confessional, whose bittersweet sentiment blooms as additional instruments join with each passing chorus.
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2006.