A marked improvement over the fun-but-spotty hey you. yes you (2003), Awake Is the New Sleep blends singer/songwriter folk and catchy pop with subtle hints of Americana and a dash of electronic experimentation. And it doesn’t waste any time before setting the mood. It’s the kind of album that’d be right at home oozing from the headphones of some searching soul meandering through the snow-covered Manhattan streets, pondering life’s strangeness and the broken hearts of the past. A soft pain permeates the music, but welling up is a quiet hope; there’s healing in this record.