It's good to have The Dream Syndicate back with us in 2022. Their's was one of the more unexpected reformations when they came back in 2017 and started putting out records again in 2017. There have been a few more since.
Ultraviolet Battle Hymns & True Confessions their latest album, is just out. The key DS ingredients are in place. Velvet Underground and Lou Reed in particular, Television. Beat sensibility. But they're older now and they acknowledge that. There's a spaciness, an eeriness that wasn't there in their early days.
Ultraviolet Battle Hymns is not to my taste as much as the first two albums, The Days of Wine & Roses and Medicine Show. It would be difficult to top those two, particular Wine & Roses. There's a sultry, laidback sound that reminds me of some of the records of Dean Wareham another Velvets and Televison apostle. Some of the songs don't really seem to gel as well as they might.
I'm not sure I'll listen to this. They rock out occasionally in a pleasing way as on final track Straight Lines. I wish they'd done it a bit more. But I've got a blog to write and it didn't particularly grab my attention on first play the way for example Wareham's last album did. I imagine Dream Syndicate devotees will lap it up and as I said, I'm glad they're back.
No comments:
Post a Comment