Arms And Sleepers
"Bliss Was It In That Dawn To Be Alive"

Gliding by on their lofty ambient music, Arms and Sleepers' debut EP, "Bliss Was It In That Dawn To Be Alive," is a delicate and soft beginning to this Massachusetts-based band's recorded career. The seven mostly instrumental tracks on "Bliss" are rich with feeling as the weightless music invigorates you with its thoughtful and deliberate melodies.

Gentle percussion melts into a chiming melody and the band embed vocals and horns into "A Mission to Prague" while, similarly, "Arms/Sleepers" remains on the light side as it drifts in and out. Desolate and atmospheric, "A Girl Named Clive" offers an echoing soundscape that sets your mind racing to put an image to the dense and textured music, such as a far away lonely planet somewhere. Arms and Sleepers work from the ground up for "Warm," layering the rhythmic electronics with piano and falsetto vocals as the energy builds while on the spacey "Moscow Pop," electronic pulses pop, sputter and blend in with other instrumentation for a warm and catchy result. Arms and Sleepers offer one last sleepy number to pull it all together as the horns from earlier return to mingle with a twinkling keyboard melody for a light but effective result on "(Untitled)."

Dreamy and often with a far away feeling, Arms and Sleepers make "Bliss Was It In That Dawn To Be Alive" into a virtual vacation. The band's sleepy melodies offer a sense of tranquility while still keeping listeners engaged. Arms and Sleepers soar in with their multilayered sound on "Bliss Was It In That Dawn To Be Alive" and make you forget that this debut EP is only their introduction.