Wintersleep emerged from Halifax in the early '00s as an indie-rock band perched midway between the atmospheric sweep of post-rock and the raw, rustic tones of underground folk. But in singer/guitarist Paul Murphy, they possess an impassioned mouthpiece whose gritty yet vulnerable voice betrays a latent desire to connect with the masses. They made good on that promise with 2007's Welcome to the Night Sky, whose hand-clapped anthem, “Weighty Ghost,” showcased a newfound flair for rousing sing-alongs. It's an impulse they've since channeled into crunchy, arena-sized rockers (“Amerika”) and swaggering synth-pop (“Beneficiary”).