Music / Sleeping at Last

Sleeping at Last is a music project led by singer and multiinstrumentalist Ryan O'Neal.

Initially a band formed in 1999 comprising of Ryan O'Neal (lead vocals and guitar), his brother Chad O'Neal (drum), and Dan Perdue (bass), Sleeping at Last released their debut album Capture in 2000. Three more albums followed before the departure of Chad O'Neal and Perdue. Since 2012, Ryan has used the name Sleeping At Last for his solo alternative/indie work, comprised of several EPs and compilations of EPs rather than full-fledged albums.

Discography:

Albums

• Capture (2000)
• Ghosts (2003)
• Keep No Score (2006)
• Storyboards (2009)

Extended Plays

• There's a Quiet Understanding (1999)
• Ghosts of Christmas Past (2005)
• Yearbook (2010-2011): twelve installments
• 8-Bits (2012)
• Atlas (2013-2019): eleven installments
• Astronomy (2020-)

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Tropes:

• Cosmic Motifs: Atlas: Space is comprised of several songs themed around both human relationships and the planets.
• Elemental Motifs: The singer in "Two" compares themself and their caring to water in the verses: "a mighty ocean", "like a tidal wave", "or calm waters".
• Light/Darkness Juxtaposition:
  • Used in "Uneven Odds" when the Parental Substitute is trying to encourage their new charge:
    You're much too young now
    So I'll write these words down:
    "Darkness exists to make light truly count."
  • "Woodwork", about the outpouring of support (light) after a tragedy (darkness):
    We only notice light
    When darkness crashes against it
    We only notice light
    Deep in the woodwork
• Mythical Motifs: Some songs in Atlas refer to the mythical namesakes of the planets. For example, "Mars" (named for the Roman god of war) is about an armed conflict, while "Neptune" (named for the Roman god of the sea) features a lot of water imagery.
• Numerological Motif: Atlas: Enneagram is based around The Enneagram. Each song is titled after a number (from One to Nine) and is sung from the perspective of someone fitting that personality type.
• Parental Love Song:
  • "Light" is about a young man (per Word of God, the same orphan from "Uneven Odds") who is becoming a parent for the first time. He swears to his new child that he'll do his best and teach it everything he knows. invoked
  • "Life" is about a new father's outpouring of love for his newborn daughter.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: The soldiers coming home in "Mars" feel broken after the war and "beg for sound advice".
• Shot at Dawn: Described in the song "Mars", a song about war:
  Our backs against the wall,
  We're surrounded and afraid.
  Our lives now in the hands
  Of the soldiers taking aim.
• White Flag: The imagery of a white flag for peace is made in "Neptune":
  A strong wind at my back
  So I, I lift up the only
  sail that I have
  This tired white flag

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