Review Summary: Post Rock for Led Zeppelin Lovers
I would describe Day Dream Sparkle Party in 3 words: Ambitious, Huge, and Long-Winded. For a debut record, they truly set out to show you that they won’t be boxed in by a specific genre. Most tracks (intentionally or unintentionally) remind me of Explosions in the Sky and The Appleseed Cast. But the band proves they aren’t a post-rock-one-trick pony—This album has a ton of great riffs. "Orjazm" opens up with a groovy punk style riff that wouldn’t be out of place in a
Coheed and Cambria record and "Winterdome", "Qs and As", and "Ghost Pepper" all have huge 70’s stadium rock riffs. And I really enjoyed the external sound clips, as it brought back high school memories of
dredg and
boysetsfire.
As far as specific instruments, I wanted more from the drums. The guitars and bass seem to do all the work on this album, with the drums just providing a pretty basic rhythmic foundation. There’s nothing super unique here to latch on to– Although I do like the fact that it doesn’t stomp on the toes of the other instruments. "Pirate-like Reflexes" is a notable exception with the bulk of the mood being rhythmically centered. As for the bass, I love that it moves all over the place on this record. It’s locking in with the drums many times, but it wanders all around the neck trying to find a way to inject its melodic hopping into the music. Just listen to "Ginger Dime" and you’ll understand.
The guitar work is the most dominant force on the album. Often one guitar is providing the atmosphere with a clean, open tone, while the other is ripping in-your-face distorted riffs. This dichotomy is at times a little strange, but I think it plays well into Childspeak’s unique style. It reminds me a bit of early 2000’s alternative bands like
Lost Ocean,
All The Day Holiday, and
The Mercury Program.
One of the big drawbacks of this album is its production. Moments that rhythmically could be tighter, guitar tone that at times feels a bit harsh, intonation issues, and mixing that doesn’t quite highlight the intricacies of the dancing bass lines leaves me a little bit underwhelmed. I love the riffs, complex rhythms, and time changes but a lackluster mix pulled me out of my trance. Because of the vast array of sounds, this album would be a tricky beast to tame, so I can’t fault it on a debut LP budget.
But don’t take my word for it, check out the album in its entirety – it’s a wild ride.
