Great Northern

The light of the morning sun spreads across the horizon as you slowly awaken from a restful night’s sleep. As the fog clears and conscious thoughts begin to crystallize, you enter a state that scientists call hypnopompia — a psychological limbo between sleep and wakefulness during which you’re prone to hallucinations of vision, hearing and even touch. If this epiphanic moment had a soundtrack, Great Northern would supply it. Guitarist Solon Bixler and keyboardist Rachel Stolte weave their voices together in radiant boy/girl harmonies with words that are simultaneously simple and inscrutable. Drummer Davey Latter and bassist Ashley Dzerigian join in to create a luxurious sonic brocade as soothing as your favorite baby blanket and as intoxicating as baby’s first bourbon. The Angeleno outfit marries optimistic innocence with the melancholy realism of experience to arrive at a sound that captures the beauty and complexity of being alive — and awake.