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Skydream is an ethereal four-track EP by El Sereno, CA based “Electronic Space Rock” group Blade of Grass.
The album is exactly what you’d expect electronic space rock to sound like. It’s trippy, full of reverb-laced vocals and weird sounds, and has a charming lack of musical lucidity, and therefore, predictability.
My favourite track is the album’s opener, “The Day Will Come.” A strong beat supports the singer’s psychedelic tenor, and unusual instrumentation kept me guessing while I was listening. A chromatic synth ostinato reappears throughout the track, giving it a sense of unity despite the lack of traditional strophic verses and choruses.
My least favourite track is the second one, “She Was.” Another compelling beat drives the vocals, but a recurring low synth came in so many times I actually found myself angry at the end of the song. I was bored and pissed. The lyrics are basically “she was the one for me” sung over and over, and the monotony of that combined with the synth made me briefly contemplate leaping out the window towards my own personal skydream.
The rest of the album is really solid, and I loved the unusual beats. Blade of Grass use truly original sounds to create their songs, and it’s unlike many albums in this genre I’ve heard before. I mean not exactly “electronic space rock,” but, like, electronic music. Yeah.
It’s not a very dance-y album, at all in fact, but it would be fucking great to get high to, or so I’ve heard from people who do that, which I don’t. No Mum, I seriously don’t. I just mean the abnormal arrangements would be fascinating, and the ostinatos would probably become almost meditative, if the listener were in an appropriately receptive state.
I highly recommend checking out “The Day Will Come” by visiting the band’s soundcloud page here.
I would be very interested to hear more music by Blade of Grass, because I think they’re really onto something. To be perfectly honest, this just isn’t my kind of music, and it’s really hard to review. I give this album a 3.5, but like all my scores, that’s just one dude’s opinion and you might fucking love these songs. It’s definitely worth a listen to find out.
Score: 3.5/5
Track Listing:
1. The Day Will Come
2. She Was
3. It's Such A Long Road
4. Haven't Slept For Days