Born from the looping experiments of Dheeru Pennepalli, Chicago-based trio A Light Sleeper swirls creeping guitar and vocals, resonant saxophone, and lithe drumming into coarse hooks and flowing epics. Foregoing the drastic dynamics and calculated bombast of previous efforts (Re:Rec, Bargos Steeler, Creign), ALS opts instead to focus more on the interplay between moods, textures and tones.

Building their songs layer upon layer, Pennepalli (guitar/voices), Maria Elena Hernandez (alto saxophone/voices), and Matt Jung (drums/keyboards) cultivate an organic sound that is a touch eerie, yet at times simple and poignant. Since 2005, ALS has been floating along the periphery of Chicago’s experimental scene, self-releasing two albums and playing small shows.

In 2009 ALS signed on to release their album Amicability with Another New Calligraphy, a project that helps Chicago artists.