Sleep Station's After The War is the New Jersey quintet's fifth release and their 4th concept album in a row. (There has been some disagreement about the bands discography but if you click on the comments below, a reader has sorted it out for us.) Lyrically After The War follows the plight of a WWII fighter pilot, in a non-linear (flash-back) ridden narrative similar to the plot of a film. This is the sort of thing that generally sends critics running for cover, unless the band is Pedro The Lion or the Decembrists - who are among the very few bands save, Roger Waters, who can get way with concept albums and still recieve high marks.

The truth about Sleep Station and singer/screenwriter Dave Debiak is that he could be talking about a bunch of kids playing war, who get bored and go back inside to watch Grim and Evil on Cartoon Network and the listener would scarcely notice or care. Debiak's knack for crafting lyrical melodies and wonderfully harmonic chorus hooks are all anyone need worry about with this band. Not unlike, Pedro or even the Pernice Brothers, Debiak excels at pure pop craftsmanship, and on After the War these musical smarts are as conventionally mainstream as Coldplay, but a little less studied, more like Doves.

The most appealing aspect of this record is it's generous nods to fringe-pop artists of the past - namely E.L.O.'s Jeff Lynne and Alan Parson's (circa. Eye in the Sky). All of which seems to sprinkle the music with a glittering melancholia somewhere from the past - and lends After the War an achingly, haunting timeless quality. From the Gorgeous title track that opens the record and throughout it's 17 tracks there is a somber cloud, (it's not a happy story), but one that is regularly parted by the sunshine of bright hooks and shimmering guitars. Just when it looks like rain, the clouds depart and streaming rays of poignant pop melodies descend like heavenly columns.

It's true Debiak never really goes for the jugular like Roger Waters, there's nothing gut-wrenching or even particularly pointed about the subtext. Still the record can be fully enjoyed with little or no recognition of what Debiak is singing about. This is a movie that a blindman could enjoy as much as his sighted companion. By all means go buy yourself this movie soundtrack, and whether or not you choose to follow the bouncing ball is up to you, because the real allure here is the truly outstanding songcraft that will hook you on it's first pass, and with each of the 17 tracks a story in and of themselves, you won't find yourself bored after the first several spins.