Review Summary: A mature and almost nocturnal album that shows the band at their most misunderstood
After the more mature, yet still fun (and almost silly) “Aural Sculpture”, it was easy to believe the band would continue to stray further away from the wacky sound that made them stand out in the late ‘70s, as “Aural Sculpture”, despite still having some chaotic charm here and there, was the most poppy the band has ever been; though, they still managed to balance the direction and style just enough to where the record was still enjoyable. So, did they manage to keep that balance with their next album, “Dreamtime”? Well, if you were to look at the reviews and ratings, it sure doesn’t look like it. With low scores aplenty, I actually didn’t check this album out until fairly recently because I didn’t want to be disappointed. After all, with the exception of the very meh and unfocused “The Gospel According to the Meninblack”, every album they’ve made up to this point has been, at the very least, really good and highly underrated.
So you can imagine my confusion when “Too Precious” ended, as I have just heard one of the most pleasant records in a long time. Granted, it’s not among their absolute best like “The Raven” or “Black and White” which are both, in my opinion, amazing, but it’s neck and neck with other wonderfully underrated records like “La folie”, which I still deem great. What’s interesting about this album is that it really does sound like all 3 of their last albums combined into one in terms of sound, as it’s got the focus and writing style of “La folie”, the occasional contemporary and almost adventurous sound of “Feline”, and the occasional chaos and ambition of “Aural Sculpture”. And it works surprisingly well. The material is some of the most mature the band has ever written, the atmosphere is weirdly nocturnal and almost beautiful throughout, the structure is excellent, and the focus is higher than ever before. It’s a lot more calm and contemporary than what we’re used to, but the band manages to still sound like themselves while doing a damn good job at doing so. And that’s not to say there’s no variety, as the album, while a bit more tame, still has a fair amount of it to keep the listener on their toes thanks to the album switching gears here and there.
Overall, the album does more than enough to be a worthwhile addition to any new wave/classic rock fans collection. Though, that’s not to say it’s quite perfect. For one, while I absolutely love the atmosphere and vibe this album is going for, it can be a bit much at times. You can tell the band were leaning heavily into the texture-laden and reverb heavy sound, and while I wouldn’t say they failed with it, it can sometimes take away from the great songs here. If I were the band, I would’ve kept the production, but toned it down a bit, because it can sometimes feel overproduced. Never enough to ruin the album, but enough to be worth noting. Also, while I still stand by that this album does have some ambition, I can’t deny that it’s also lower than it ever has been. While I can see why it would result in more focused music writing, I feel like the band forgot that they already nailed the song writing in previous records that were much more crazier and fun than this one. Though, the music still manages to be fun and enjoyable enough to where that’s not a major problem. It’s just something to bear in mind before checking this one out.
Other than that, the band really nailed what they were going for. Like I said, it’s a much more calm and focused record than what we’re used to, and yet, it still has that charm that has made the band so enjoyable. It’s a damn shame that this album seemed to have become buried in the realms of obscurity, because aside from the lower variety and craziness, this was a very enjoyable time from start to finish. This just goes to show how important it is to reach your own conclusions, because I’m almost mad at myself for not checking this out sooner. So whether you are taking a ride on the ghost train or are big in America or are under the Mayan skies, the quality this album brings is shakin’ like a leaf—despite critics seemingly leaving that part in their dreamtime.
