The Cradle - Laughing In My Sleep (Coke Bottle Green)

After 30 or so previous releases, 'Laughing in my Sleep' represents a stylistic culmination--a synthesis of the many sonic flavors The Cradle has served us up since the genesis of the project in 2013. It is a sprawling, multi-faceted album that will give a first-time listener a taste of everything, from hi-fidelity, lyrical guitar-based music familiar to fans of 'Bag of Holding,' to grimy 4-track drum machine songs a la 'Sense Stats,' to spoken word pieces and voice memo interludes sent straight from a cell phone that may remind fans of the more esoteric live Cradle performances. Likewise, the album is thematically diverse, recorded in the spring of 2018 during a wandering period of frequent travel and change. Songs range from personal to the political, from spiteful to gracious, from frustrated to silly. Never missing, though, is the sense of exploration and wonder that has always permeated The Cradle's work.