These Times

The Dream Syndicate

ANTI-, 2019

http://www.thedreamsyndicate.com

REVIEW BY: Pete Crigler

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/01/2019

On the second record of their tremendous comeback, L.A. Paisley Underground kings The Dream Syndicate sticks to the program. Opening track “The Way In” is a brief song, but it’s a nice way to lure people in. Simple, elegant and dreamy, this track is as good a reminder as any that this band was and is continually great. “Black Light” has a funky, Indian feel to it, and it’s definitely one of the more interesting tracks of the year.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

“Bullet Holes” sounds like some singer songwriter stuff from the ‘70s; it’s not a bad sound but not really anything that works with the Syndicate and definitely one of the least interesting tracks here. “Still Here Now” is a nice slow rocker that really stands out. “Speedway” has remnants of frontman Steve Wynn’s solo records, which is a good or bad thing depending on how much one likes Wynn’s records.

On “The Whole World’s Watching,” the whole band gets a chance to spread their musical wings and stretch out. The result is an interesting track that gets the listener’s attention and keeps it going. It’s a different track than anything else on the record, which that’s nice because it is so different. The wah wah riff that moves through “Space Age” is the main thing that makes it interesting and fun. Otherwise, the track is a bit dull.

On the whole, this is a tad bit less exciting than the Syndicate’s last disc, but let’s face it, it’s nice to still have rock bands that give a damn about their sound. Not every “rock” band has to be covered in keyboards and loops. It’s great to see a band like the Syndicate not doing much to change their sound in order to be more popular. It’s high time that other bands throw away their samplers, start writing songs by themselves again, and remember what got them to rock in the first place.

Rating: B-

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


Comments

 








© 2019 Pete Crigler and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of ANTI-, and is used for informational purposes only.