Half Asleep. Half Awake is the third release from wallscenery demos. The album is a departure from wsd's collage of short songs and interludes, yet still includes atmospheric elements which play a key part in the compositions. It explores a topic close to the songwriter's life - relocation - in layered melodies that build to a peak, recede into a whisper, and always tell a story."Behind WSD is guitarist/vocalist/songwriter James Hicken, who's put out a slew of projects in the past few years under that name (as well as under the Super Visas moniker). Joining him on this record are Dean Marino (from Papermaps), Jay Sad (producer and co-owner of Chemical Sound Studio) and Sheldon Kelly (of Jetset Motel). Where his previous efforts found Hicken crafting short-form experiments in recording and composition, Half Asleep, Half Awake sounds fine-tuned and really feels like a finished product.Opening the album is"Gotta Watch Out For A Year," and we're immediately thrust into a swarm of soggy guitars and dreamily stoned vocals, grounded in tight structure and easily-digestible progressions. Initial comparisons might drop names like Women and Deerhunter (particularly Bradford Cox's style of singing). But where those bands might revel in opportunities to spoon-feed us dissonance, WSD's production seems intent on letting the songs stand on their own.Half Asleep, Half Awake is pretty laid back for the most part, with the exception of"Money Lebowski" which does to"Where's the money Lebowski?" what Dan Deacon did to Woody the Woodpecker. Besides that song, WSD is primarily reliant on the instruments and Hicken's vocals and that style works for them perfectly."-- inyourspeakers.com