Cool Hand Luke is an indie rock band out of Tennessee of all places. Wake Up, O Sleeper is their first release on Floodgate Records and their third release overall.
Even from the title Wake Up, O Sleeper it is clear that Cool Hand Luke envisions their music as worship. In their lyrics they reference nearly twenty Scripture references. But unlike some popular Christian groups, the spiritual emphasis comes off as sincere.
Musically the band has morphed from a screamo band into something much more delicate. Much of that is due to their vocalist's progression from screaming into developing a beautiful falsetto. There is also experimentation into softer genres on "Nobody Hugs a Rose" and "Two Pianos."
The first six songs may be the best Cool Hand Luke has ever written. The final four, with the exception of "For You," are not as enjoyable. "For You" is the high point of the album as the singer cries out "But if I'm a fool, I'm a fool for you / And if I'm alive, I'm living just for you."
Wake Up, O Sleeper is an album that takes some time to digest with tracks that average five minutes. But it's well worth the listener's patience.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Ken MuellerThis Tennessee emo-rock trio is back with a strong follow-up to 2001's I Fought Against Myself. This disc is the band's debut on Tim Taber's Floodgate Records. Last time around the band showed promise by distinguishing themselves from all of the other emo-wannabes out there by coming up with their very own sound. While at times they evoke the sound of some earlier bands, like Sunny Day Real…The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Trae CadenheadIn the last few years, Tennessee-based indie rock band Cool Hand Luke has established quite a following. With this in mind, major distributors Floodgate Records picked the band up to release their latest full-length Wake Up, O Sleeper. The cover art and insert book for Wake Up, O Sleeper are impressive. The art work and drawings in the insert book do a good job of encouraging the listener to pop…The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Kevin MathewsThe opening minutes of Wake Up O Sleeper are fairly non-descript and make little impression. "Nobody Hugs a Rose," however, makes it all worthwhile. Like a breath of fresh air, the song's soft, pop air breaks the fog that permeates much of this debut. The cold, jazz-fusion sheen is hard to get to grips with. What a shame, since the lyrical content makes an effort to connect. 2.5 tocksThe Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Trilisa M. Perrine"This is love, that you would die for me." There is no ambiguity in that line--no shadow of a doubt. One of the most impressive attributes of the new Cool Hand Luke album, Wake Up, O Sleeper, is its ability to be lyrically blatant without falling into the trap of triteness. Time and time again bands have found it impossible to say what they mean without succumbing to the corny or cliché, but this…Similar sounding releases
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