Album Review: The Dream Syndicate - "Ultraviolet Battle Hymns And True Confessions"

 

Something of a legendary underground band in their heyday, I'll be honest and say that my knowledge of the Dream Syndicate pretty much begins and ends at their best known album The Days Of Wine And Roses and its attendant minor hit Tell Me When It's Over which seems to crop up on a lot of '80s garage and US indie compilations. Mixing garage rock sensibilities with a more off the wall Velvet Underground influence, they were a bit of an acquired taste to these ears but there's no doubt that when they nailed it they most definitely could nail it.

Just under forty years on from that moment and the group are back. And interestingly, while the Velvet Underground influence is definitely still present (not least in the Lou Reed style vocals), Ultraviolet Battle Hymns... offers a more nuanced take on the formula to good effect - Where I'll Stand is all dreamy electronica and Damian could almost be a distant cousin of Sweet Jane with its languid guitar riff.

The quality of songs on here is pretty high throughout actually - Hard To Say Goodbye is a lovely dreamy summery song with its fuzzy guitars and horns while Trying To Get Over and Straight Lines both have a Talking Heads style nervy punk vibe to them. There's a pronounced psychedelic leaning to many of the tracks as well with Every Time You Come Around and Lesson Number One definitely owing a nod of the hat to Arthur Lee and Love in their sound. All in all, this is a good effort from the Dream Syndicate with variety, energy and a tunefulness lurking underneath to lure you back for repeated listening. Not bad at all.

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Garbage Days Revisited #67: Jason & The Scorchers - "Still Standing" (1986)

Image
  "And though you are so far away, ten thousand miles of sorrow/This prison cannot, will not kill our blessed free tomorrow"  - Jason & The Scorchers  - Good Things Come To Those Who Wait Like a lot of Britrockers my age, it's probably Ginger Wildheart 's fault that I became a Jason & The Scorchers fan. They're a band who the G-man has never made any secret of his admiration for and the Wildhearts even covered the Scorchers classic White Lies  as a B-side to Anthem  many years ago. Most people who've heard them will happily tell you that the group's 1983 EP Fervor  and their 1985 debut full length*  Lost & Found  are classics of the cowpunk genre, the perfect missing link between Johnny Cash and the Ramones and you can add me to that list as well. The follow-up, 1986's Still Standing though? Now that one seems to be a bit more divisive. And that's why it's the one we're covering here on Garbage Days Revisited... (* - well, sort
Read more

Album Review: Steve Vincent - "Recovered From My Past"

Image
  Best known as the frontman of Brit sleaze perennials Paradise Alley, this is the first solo album from Steve Vincent. I have to be honest, Steve's day job band are one of those who I've heard of but don't recall hearing anything by but the general signs here appeared to be promising with a guest list including the Wildhearts' Danny McCormack, ex-Dolls and current Mike Monroe guitarist Steve Conte and McCormack's old Main Grains bandmate (along with several others) Ben Marsden. The first thing to be aware of here though is that if you're expecting a Soho sleaze by numbers affair then you might just be in for a bit of a surprise. If anything, Recovered From My Past  sails closer to the shores of power pop or the vintage strain of '80s Brit-glam (the Babysitters, Soho Roses, Torme, Marionette etc) with a healthy dash of early Hanoi Rocks in there as well. Certainly the harmonica honking likes of Yesterday's Man , Last Train To Babylon  and Can't Bring
Read more

Album Review: The Wannabes - "Monster Beach"

Image
The Wannabes are the musical brainchild of Nottingham resident Wayne Zenith and from looking at the guy's  Bandcamp page , I think it's fair to say he's a somewhat prolific feller with over 50 releases under various incarnations on there. Musically, as the title and artwork probably suggest, it's pretty straightforward Ramones style three-chord headbanger territory (including a competent cover of Rockaway Beach ) with a touch of the Cramps' gleefully sicko gorehound tendencies as songs with titles such as I Was There At The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Stuff Cindy In The Incinerator  suggest. There's a few little tricks in there to ensure this doesn't fall into one trick pony territory though with the keyboards over the top actually adding a bit of a '60s Nuggets  style feel to some of the songs especially opener Somehow  which even has an extended piano-led break in the middle - brave move but it works. The more moody mid-paced Drag You Down  (whic
Read more