Awake is the New Sleep

You must do a lot of thinking after getting dumped, because this record feels like a weekend of journal entries and rainy windowpanes. If you’re into that, then Awake is your cup of lukewarm chamomile tea. Mostly, the album sticks to a midtempo march as Lee tells story songs in sing-speak, occasionally perking up for catchy pop ditties brightened by keyboardy bits. But play it backward and you still don’t get Claire Danes back.