Transporting you to Santa Monica Boulevard circa 1976, ‘Damian’ has a Californian sun baked sheen with a New York City bred sense of evil and a Steely Dan feel to it or if we transport it to the other side of the Atlantic touches of Roxy Music’s “Ain’t That So” – the Dream Syndicate have moved well past their early Velvet Underground influences and taken on British glam, German prog, and more. “It feels like an attempt–via the lyrics and the circular chord progression–to impose some kind of order and logic on a world that was severely lacking in both respects at the time.” – Steve Wynn Throwing out any preconceptions on the cryptically titled : ‘Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions’ is different to what you’ve heard previously.Ī vintage Krautrock electronic synth opening on lead single ‘Where I’ll Stand ’ blends into a classic Dream Syndicate vibe – not unlike “Tell Me When It’s Over” that kicked off The Days of Wine and Roses – with touches of Bowie’s opening song on Scary Monsters “It’s No Game”. When the Dream Syndicate emerged in the early 80s, frontman Steve Wynn declared that “we’re playing music we want to hear because nobody else is doing it” – he added, “I’ll comprise on what I eat or where I sleep, but I won’t compromise on what music I play.”īoth were true, 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. “CLEVER, AMBITIOUS, AND BLESSEDLY NOISY.” – ALLMUSICįire Records presents a brand-new album from The Dream Syndicate – featuring singer/songwriter/guitarist Steve Wynn, drummer Dennis Duck, bassist Mark Walton, lead guitarist Jason Victor plus their newest member Chris Cacavas on keyboards (you remember him from the 1980s Los Angeles band Green On Red), plus guest appearances from Stephen McCarthy (of The Long Ryders) and Marcus Tenney’s expressive sax and trumpet work. They recorded Live at Raji’s in 1989 as their swan song.“ATMOSPHERIC ROCK MUSIC VEERING BETWEEN NOISE AND SUBTLETY-SO COMPELLING.” – PITCHFORK The band had realigned to include Mark Walton on bass and Paul B. As the band label-hopped, a new lineup and falling morale spawned Out of the Grey (Big Time) in 1986 and the Elliot Mazer-produced Ghost Stories (Enigma) in 1988. By this time, Smith had left the band and was replaced by Dave Provost on bass andTom Zvoncheck on keyboards. Wynn took his cues fromNeil Young & Crazy Horse on the record rather than Lou Reed (who was considered a preferable source at the time), and the rootsier sound caused a backlash with the fan base. Released in 1984, Medicine Show was met with mixed response by the college crowd. Live, they had developed into an assaultive guitar band prone to jamming, which helped earn them the tag as leaders of L.A.’s paisley underground movement. The record has been cited as influential from artists as diverse as Kurt Cobain to the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson. It was shortly off to Ruby/Slash for Days of Wine and Roses, the most lauded record on the college charts that year. They debuted with a self-titled, unbelievably Velvet Underground-like EP on Wynn’s own Down There label. 21, 1960) and including Karl Precoda (guitar),Dennis Duck (drums), and Kendra Smith (bass), the band formed in Los Angeles after Smith and Wynn had relocated there from Davis, CA. Dream Syndicate are at the foundation (alongside the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, and R.E.M.) of contemporary alternative music simply because at the time when most bands were experimenting with new technology, the Syndicate deigned to bring back the guitar.
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