Sleepwalker finds
Radford reconstituted and revived after a rocky road of corporate restructuring led to its dismissal from RCA and dissolution as a band. In some ways, the new album is a solo effort for Jonny Mead, who developed the new material on his own at a home studio. Universal bit on the demos, and even let Mead produce the new record himself. The results are similar to
Radford (besides Mead, guitarist Chris Hower is the only holdover);
Sleepwalker is highly accessible modern rock, with mixing pro Chris Lord-Alge on hand to ensure maximum punch. Tracks like "Someone Somewhere" and "Control" throb with big guitars, and fit nicely into that attractive and hooky yet slightly bland notch inhabited by outfits like
Our Lady Peace or
Fuel. At the same time, Mead fills the album with not-so-oblique references to
Radford's run of bad luck, strengthening the material through first-person musings ("Out of the Dark") and bursts of vengeful anger. "I don't need you/To tell me who I am," Mead sings in the muscular opener, "Therapy (I Don't Need You)." "I don't need you/To open any doors."
Sleepwalker also adds elements of programming and keyboards to the
Radford equation -- "Therapy" plays programmed and live percussion off each other for maximum dynamic effect. The Brit rocker in L.A. transplant Mead also surfaces here and there, particularly in the
Radiohead grandeur of first single and album standout "Fake a Smile."
Sleepwalker will definitely please fans of
Radford's first album, who might have been wondering what the heck happened to the band after its disappearing act. And while the woes the band encountered caused its lineup shakeup and three-year hiatus, that same adversity seems to have inspired Jonny Mead to imbue his somewhat populist sound with some real emotion and refreshingly biting anger. ~ Johnny Loftus