STUPID DREAM

Some morbid fascination kept me coming back to this album, as it didn't really grab my attention right off the bat. All I really remembered after the first listen was somewhat pop song Stranger by the Minute and the punk vibe of This Is No Rehearsal. What I didn't notice was the beautiful quiet section of Don't Hate Me after the WONDERFUL sax and flute solos, the eerie vibes of A Smart Kid, the eccentric instrumental of Tinto Brass, the beautiful build up of Even Less and the pure sadness of Stop Swimming.

The album has two distinct sounds: A Signify-eque sound and a Lightbulb Sun-esque sound. Songs like Piano Lessons, This Is No Rehearsal, Stranger by the Minute and probably Slave Called Shiver will appeal to any fan of newer PT stuff, and hopefully older fans too. all of them are full of hooks and it even sounds like Stranger by the Minute is MIXED differently. Meanwhile, A Smart Kid, Stop Swimming, Even Less, Don't Hate Me, Tinto Brass, they're all significantly more experimental and more reliant on moody atmospheric stuff. Incidentally, all of those are songs are pure beauty. An entire album of songs like them...would I have given this five stars sooner? I don't know, because too many songs like A Smart Kid would get repetitive, of course. The poppier songs lighten the mood and it really does help, and the great guitar solos in them would be nonexistant. Baby Dream in Cellophane and Pure Narcotic are more acoustic and pretty much just pleasant songs.

I'll be the first one to admit songs like Stranger by the Minute and This Is No Rehearsal aren't perfect, and a couple other songs are just solid 4/5 material. That doesn't matter to me though. I've never encountered an album yet where I like EVERY song equally, and Stop Swimming, Don't Hate Me, Even Less, Slave Called Shiver and Tinto Brass more than make up for anything bad.

For the record, Stop Swimming may just be the most depressing song ever off one of the most depressing albums ever.

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