What does it sound like?:
The Paisley Underground was a Californian phenomenon that existed in the early eighties, harking back to the sunny pop of the sixties with jangly guitar and smatterings of psychedelica. It consisted of bands like The Bangles, The Rain Parade, The Three O’Clock and Green On Red. Echo And The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes and The Mighty Wah! were the UK equivalent. Prince was inspired enough to name his label Paisley Park, write a hit for The Bangles and base All Around The World In A Day on its sound.
The Dream Syndicate stood out. They had a darker edge, being more influenced by The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground of White Light, White Heat. Their debut, Days Of Wine And Roses is a classic, full of billows of guitar enveloped around an energetic rhythm section and terse, defiant lyrics, delivered in a Reed-like laconic drawl. They sounded unstoppable and volatile. That sound evolved over four studio albums, adjusting for personnel changes. They became less abrasive and more dreamy but the guitars continued to churn and Steve Wynn’s vocals remained a recognisable constant. In 1988, the band broke up.
Nearly thirty years later, they’ve made a new album. Steve Wynn still writes the songs, sings and plays rhythm guitar. Dennis Duck sits on his familiar drum stool with Mark Walton on bass, as he has been since 1986. Original bassist, Kendra Smith, contributes lyrics and vocals for the final track. Jason Victor is the newest boy on lead but has been duelling guitars with Wynn in his solo career since 2003. Chris Cavacas of Green On Road chips in on organ.
The eight tracks are almost a potted history of the band, conjuring up memories of each of their albums, but also adding a fresh, new and different chapter. The guitars are magnificent, rocking, rolling, crying, singing, intertwined with each other. They don’t dazzle with nimble fingered technique, they develop an irresistible momentum carrying the listener through exhilarating highs and lows.
How Did I Find Myself Here? opens at a medium pace but with the volume button at eleven, accelerates over three more tracks, takes a bit of a breather, girds its loins for the big epic and ends on a high. There are suggestions of drugs, bizarre thoughts, nostalgia, wistfulness and sheer fun, with more than a hint of malevolence. For Filter Through You, Wynn expresses a desire to burrow under an ex’s skin, so she can’t forget him. Glide is both aggressive and euphoric, indulging itself in a flight of fancy, matched by the driven guitars. Out Of My Head is faster and even more bonkers, out-staring the shoe-gazers and outdoing them for noise. 80 West has a nasty streak as wide as a freeway in which the guitars roam wild. Like Mary, an old song from the eighties, is as close to a ballad Dream Syndicate get, inflamed as it is by angry flashes of slide guitar, distraught at Mary’s plight. The Circle is as tight and as powerful as a controlled explosion.
The title track is jazzy, laid back and funky. The song is a raison d’être for the reunion. The guitars duck and weave, supporting and egging each other on, distorted and dignified. At over eleven and a half minutes long, it feels much too short. The finale is a piece of music that builds and builds relentlessly. Who better to sing a song about a dream than a near-ghost? Kendra Smith has lived in remote woods for twenty years. Her sonorous tones, much deeper than Wynn’s, describe a vision of hope and beauty. Kendra’s Dream is the perfect ending to an album that flies by, a proper album that should be listened to right through in one sitting.
The Paisley Underground came into existence to reject the synthesiser and celebrate the electric guitar. In 2017, The Dream Syndicate have just released a great guitar album, not just a throwback, but an album that looks forward to a positive, guitar-centric future. Afterworders should be delighted.
What does it all *mean*?
Most spectacular resurrection from the dead now has three contenders for 2017: Dream Syndicate, Slowdive & Peter Perrett.
Goes well with…
Dream Syndicate aren’t the only band from the Paisley Underground to reunite. In December 2013, they shared a bill at The Fillmore with The Bangles, Rain Parade and The Three O’Clock. Here’s hoping for a new Bangles album of Prince covers.
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
Electric guitar. Lots of electric guitar.
Tiggerlion says
How Did I Find Myself Here?
dwightstrut says
They’re playing two nights at the Lexington in London, for anyone who’s interested. 30/31 October. As a live act, I can’t recommend them highly enough to lovers of noisy guitars.
I’ll be the one shouting: “Where’s Karl?”.
retropath2 says
Hmm, late to many parades, I “discovered” Days of Wine & Roses maybe a year ago, wondering how I had delayed, ahead of remembering I had got bored with guitars a few years ago. Listening I recalled how I loved guitars. Very Green on Reddy, I thought, a good thought, even if I always muddle Dream Syndicate, the name, with the totally dissimilar Academy and their Northern Town.
Sounds like more kerching, you striped bar steward!!
SteveT says
Hi @Tiggerlion a great review that has just cost me money.
By the way technically they are not the only Paisley Park band to reform. Green on Red did to play a gig that they had cancelled at the London Astoria 20 years prior. I was at the reformed gig and Chuck Prophets guitar playing that night was out of this world.
Tiggerlion says
I don’t think you read as far as my Goes well with… section! 😉
H.P. Saucecraft says
I was keen to hear this, although my interest in the band dropped off after the first album. I am disappoint. I can hear that it presses the right buttons in the right order, and that fans will welcome it, but … maybe it’s me. Anyway, I always liked The Three O’Clock and Rain Parade better. And The Bangles. And True West. And The Eyes Of Mind. And even that first Green On Red mini-album. The Dream Syndicate were always a bit too much Right Coast to sit happily with that shimmery psych stuff, closer in feel to Television.
dwightstrut says
“The Dream Syndicate were always a bit too much Right Coast to sit happily with that shimmery psych stuff, closer in feel to Television”
Intersting comment given Steve Wynn subsequently moved to New York.
I’m curious. “… my interest in the band dropped off after the first album…”
You really didn’t like The Medicine Show?
H.P. Saucecraft says
I didn’t dislike it. It has a “better” production, maybe stronger songs overall, but lacks the quality that made the first album work – whatever that is. The spareness, maybe. Scratchiness. The same quality that Television lost in Adventure, and you can hear at its best in Little Johnny Jewel, which for me defines the sound and the attitude (not really rock n’ roll at all) better than anything, better even than anything the uber-scratchy Velvets did.
dwightstrut says
I understand what you’re saying, but personally I always liked the fact that each one of their albums managed to sound different while still sounding like the Dream Syndicate.
Tiggerlion says
The title track is different to the rest of the album. Try Glide.
H.P. Saucecraft says
I’ve been listening to the album for a few days. It’s okay, pretty good, pretty good. But it’s not going to displace Lukas Nelson & The Promise Of The Real from the virtual turntable, which is my surprise album of the year, by some way. This will fade into the past by next week, but I’ll still play that first album from time to time.
nogbad says
True West were best..
Although I recall a great night wher I saw Green on Red in Hammersmith and then True West at Dingwalls.
The Richard McGrath / Russ Tolman guitar axis was not only fab, but occasionally groovy.
Off to listen to some now.
dwightstrut says
Love True West too. Such a shame when they lost Tolman. Result: Tolman solo albums with great songs ruined by a singing voice you wouldn’t wish on a dog; a True West album with great singing and playing wasted on a set of songs that never bore hearing twice.