With some personnel changes-notably the departures of founding members Kendra Smith and Karl Precoda-and a lack of commercial success, the group broke up after 1988’s somewhat downbeat Ghost Stories.ĭuring the long hiatus, the Dream Syndicate’s stature has grown thanks to The Days of Wine and Roses, which still sounds timeless 35 years later and has been reissued twice the group’s music has been held in high esteem from members of such bands as Wilco, Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr., and Japandroids. Yet The Days of Wine and Roses was a hard act to follow, as their subsequent albums steered toward an almost mainstream roots-influenced direction, similar to that of R.E.M. The Dream Syndicate caused a stir thanks to the critical acclaim of their debut (they were featured in Rolling Stone at one point). When the Dream Syndicate originally emerged in the early ’80s, they defined Los Angeles’ Paisley Underground, a music scene that paid homage to the Velvet Underground as well as 1960s pop and psychedelic groups. But don’t take our word for it.Maybe Wynn was asking himself the new album’s titular question five years ago, when he first resurrected his long-dormant group. The dazzling display of album cover artwork alone should clue you in to the changes. What seeps in are Dennis Duck’s knowledge of European avantgarde music (let’s not forget, Duck named the band The Dream Syndicate in tribute to an obscure 1973 Krautrock album), Jason Victor’s passion for 70s prog, Mark Walton’s experience in Southern-fried music collectives, Chris Cacavas’ penchant for sound manipulation and Wynn’s love of vintage electric jazz. This time, don’t!įor the first time, every song is a group songwriting effort. By now, every rock critic in the country has predetermined who he or she feels Wynn reminds them of and what they think of that style of songs. However, when one thinks of The Dream Syndicate, it’s not just the wild abandon with which singer/guitarist Wynn, drummer Dennis Duck, bassist Mark Walton, keyboardist Chris Cacavas and lead guitarist Jason Victor perform – it’s the carefully constructed songwriting of Wynn that comes to mind. Ok, sure – the Syndicate have occasionally committed a long song to vinyl, “John Coltrane Stereo Blues” was 9 minutes with live versions well over the ten-minute mark. Every press release ever written will claim, “This is new and different” – well, damn it, it is! Just look at the song lengths: 20:27, 7:36, 8:56, 9:55 and 10:53. This band is not regurgitating old albums and previous glories, but developing with the same urgency that a pack of youngsters would. More touring (joined by now official member Cacavas) was followed quickly by another album - These Times – which refined the sonic landscapes explored on How Did I Find Myself Here? The album was surprisingly fresh (the addition of former Green On Red keyboardist Chris Cacavas provided lush textures previously unknown in their guitar-based music) and more surprising was a vocal cameo from co-founding member, the long-lost chanteuse Kendra Smith. Cutler - and after a blaze of touring, they recorded their first album in decades, How Did I Find Myself Here? That uncompromising ‘tude continues on April 10th, 2020 when ANTI- releases the band’s 7th album, The Universe Inside.Īfter 23 years, they remerged in 2012 with a slight change in lineup - guitarist Jason Victor replaced Paul B. But before MTV switched to reality shows, they were no more. When The Dream Syndicate emerged in the early 80s, front man Steve Wynn declared, “We’re playing music we want to hear because nobody else is doing it.” He added, “I’ll compromise on what I eat or where I sleep, but I won’t compromise on what music I play.”īoth were true, and although their template of Velvet Underground meets Crazy Horse may seem commonplace today (and let’s not forget, the Syndicate spawned many imitators), their raw twin guitar, bass and drums approach was not common during an era when slick, polished MTV bands ruled.
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