Review Summary: The third time's a charm.
Everyone at one point in his or her lives has heard the idiom, “The third time’s a charm.” Those words are often shared as an expression of optimism after back-to-back letdowns of some sort. For Lexington, Kentucky based trio Dream the Electric Sleep, however, their last two records 2011’s
Lost & Gone Forever and 2014’s
Heretics were not your typical disappointments. Both albums followed a loose concept – the former focusing on a couple living in a coal mining town and the latter following the women’s suffrage movement – and featured lengthy progressive rock songs speckled with huge choruses and adventurous jam sessions. Yet, together, each album’s grandiosity and ambition often proved exhausting to listen through routinely as the albums were more of an occasional, long-winded experience rather than an engaging, infectious collection of songs begging to be played over and over.
Before recording Dream the Electric Sleep’s third full-length album,
Beneath the Dark Wide Sky, the band, consisting of Matt Page on guitar and vocals, Chris Tackett on bass, and Joey Waters on drums, caught the ear of renowned producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Mastodon, Rush, etc.), who offered to record the album and fine-tune songwriting and boy, what a difference he made! Over the course of 56 minutes, Dream the Electric Sleep deliver a tighter, more memorable version of their sprawling southern-tinged progressive rock.
One listen to lead single, “Let the Light Flood In” is all one needs to recognize the group’s newfound focus. Matt Page’s tenor soars stronger than ever over massive waves of guitar, shifting bass, and steady drums. “Let the Light Flood In” is both dreamy and threatening, a combination that can be found often throughout the record. Fans of arena-sized rock out sessions will find much to enjoy here, particularly on the nearly self-destructing “Hanging By Time” and the ominous, sludgy “Black Wind”. Dream the Electric Sleep also showcase a catchier, peppier sound most notably heard on the soaring “Flight”, the charging “The Good Night Sky”, and the euphoric “Headlights” – all of which would be mainstays on modern rock radio in a just universe. The choruses in particular on these songs are catchy, colorful, and irresistible, quite frankly. On
Beneath the Dark Wide Sky there are succinct verses, giant choruses, ripping guitar solos, and towering crescendos tucked into neat five-minute packages, something you would be hard pressed to find on previous records. The group’s shorter approach to songwriting here forces each band member to make every note count and prevents overwhelming listeners with material, but still leaves room for the songs to breathe.
While the band’s approach is leaner and meaner here, that does not mean there is little atmosphere to be found as Nick Raskulinecz’s production adds a lush, polished quality to the music. Opener, “Drift” is the antithesis of an expected upbeat beginning, instead opting to shyly bloom measure by measure until the song finally erupts into cascading guitars and slamming drums not unlike your average modern post-rock staples. “We Who Blackout the Sun” churns slowly, with Chris Tackett’s bass lines carving through the dense layers of shimmering guitars before ultimately simmering out and “Last Psalm to Silence” wakes like the sunrise from a lazy summer night, featuring delicate handpicked guitar and plunging piano strokes.
Beneath the Dark Wide Sky bears only a single blemish due to “Culling the Herd” meandering a little too long before awkwardly wrapping up. With that being said, criticisms are few and far between here because Dream the Electric Sleep has delivered an absolute gem of an album. As a trio, the band has been constantly focusing on making more with less. Ironically enough, adopting a less is more attitude has produced the band’s best work to date and one of the year’s standout progressive rock albums. Dare to take a chance on these talented, hard rocking gentlemen from Kentucky because Dream the Electric Sleep have proven with
Beneath the Dark Wide Sky that the third time’s a charm, indeed.
