Dream Phases, Clear Skies: Where tomorrow and yesterday are now… ~Ryan Muddiman
With a perfect blend of psychedelicious atmosphere and fuzz-infused guitar, Dream Phases winds its way down your aural tongue to the core of your mental/emotional comfort zone and throws up a tent in the field of your subconscious, where it camps out long after the music stops.
The brainchild of Brandon Graham, Dream Phases is comprised of he, his brother Shane, and Keveen Baudouin. This is, in the purest sense, a band formed from both necessity and serendipity. Brandon, after having played roles in multiple bands in the L.A. Psyche scene, found himself in the position of creativity by circumstance. Oftentimes it’s when we least expect it that our muse strikes.
Photo by Tyler Loring
The B side of the vinyl release are all tracks from the first public offering from the band; an EP titled Maybe Tomorrow, with the name being taken from the last track, whose lyrics are as if Brandon leapt forward in time to write the perfect culmination to the album. The B side presents itself as something one might expect to hear from a veteran outfit of a time long gone by. Saturated with delicate and challenging harmonies, with sweeping organ textures to tie it together, the sounds that the listener is treated to belie the ear’s belief that this is something that could be conceived in the nowadays-hectic-troubled-world in which we currently exist.
The A side. Good lord, the A side. It’s not as much that they’re different sounds than that of the B side, as it is a feeling that we’ve found ourselves deeper down the rabbit-hole. With musical and lyrical phrases stretching beyond those of the B side, the listener is treated to what, to those who are listening carefully, seems to be a gradual and gentle evolution from the other side. Yes, If the B side is a cry of lyrical desperation and despondency, the A side is a response to the question and statement (yes, that can be a thing), claiming ownership of the journey from which this band was born.
A band that begets a hopeful side to our current social state, Dream Phases presents itself as a sound and presence not so much out of sync with the world at large, but in spite of it. With songs of love, survival, and communion, the sonic landscape they create could be just what this world needs right now. And for my listening pleasure, and maybe a clever plot of the song-writer of this wonderful work, I’ll be listening B side first. In an interesting way, this is a fitting way to approach this psychedelic romp.
Released on Nomad Eel Records and available now digitally. Pre-orders for a glorious variety of vinyl versions are also currently available, with an estimated ship date of November 15th.
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