What’s life but a series of dreams that we can never fully comprehend, and who could possibly stand it if it were anything other than that? But dreams can only be found among cliffs and at the bottom of the oceans. There’s no easy way to reach them. You’ll need a guide and interpreter if you plan to venture down there.
Maybe artists remain the closest thing that our modern world, so disconnected from its roots, has to a dream interpreter. But who’s to be the Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar? Surely, not pop hitmakers or the people who stand in front of famous buildings and will paint you a picture of it for five bucks. What you need are daring adventurers through the Land of Illusions like Meret Ester.
And the word is out. On the album opener “Falling,” chants over guitar-produced notes that resemble a waterfall. Did you feel the spell as it was taking effect?
Everybody else has gathered. On the folkie “Postman,” the titular main character wants to know why he’s been sentenced to dream about having to deliver people’s thoughts for all eternity. Maybe Meret can weave a new dream.
“The Magician” is a rain-soaked tale of someone who possesses extraordinary abilities, but he doesn’t understand why those around him dream that he’ll use them for their benefit. Maybe Meret can interpret his visions centred on self-destruction.
There’s also “Astronaut,” a dream about climbing to the moon, being flung from it and cracking apart on impact. Meret’s tender voice delivers the story and tries to uncover the riddle
It feels, in fact, that everywhere you turn in this world that Meret Ester’s imagination has shaped into existence, you run into eccentric characters who all need a helping hand and who all must keep dreaming in order to keep existing.
And while there’s plenty of time for reflection, there’s none for anxiety. It is Ester’s calm, controlled vocal delivery that dominates the soundscape. What the songwriting found across the songs on the album maintains is the use of welcoming acoustic guitar arpeggios and the singer’s lyrical puzzles.
You’re invited to live with these mysteries. However, don’t expect to fully figure them out. Over strummed chords, Meret sings about losing herself to greater forces on “Sirens.” On the childlike “Cacoon,” the layered vocals help to create the perfect insulation from the noisy real world. And, on the soulful, wonderfully sung “Flying Carpet,” the singer talks about floating above the city and into the blissful morning light.
Where does this all leave us? In a dream, and unwilling to consider the opportunities that waking up might present. “Sweet Life” closes the album with Meret’s own dreams, which she’s glad to interpret for us. The songwriter dreams of relief from pain, emotional support and freedom from burdens. Is that too much to ask for, or too much of a dream?
