sssiv – memory boy
Similar artists: Yo La Tengo, Cocteau Twins, Silversun Pickups, The Breeders, Stereolab
Genre: Shoegaze, Dream Pop, Alternative Rock
Depending on where you live, there aren’t a lot of places for dreamers to go. And, regardless of where you reside or what you do for a living, there’s nothing a lot of time, it seems, to dream. In fact, if anyone catches you doing it, you might just be ought of a job, or your reputation could take a tumble. People around you want to see you actively fight against the vicissitudes of life.
Music of a certain kind becomes then invaluable. Why do we actually dream when we sleep? Researchers ain’t clever enough yet to tell us for sure. But most of them think that it’s a tool by which to clean up the hard drive situated in the middle noggin. But with so many complex problems and so much insomnia, sleeping just doesn’t cut it. Time to invest time in finding your favourite dream pop artists.
Indeed, ssiv’s “memory boy” is music tailored for dreams and seemingly translated directly from one. That’s impressive. I can’t even the main plotline of most of my dreams, let alone hum the soundtrack afterwards. ssiv, on the other hand, have crafted a dream nation for themselves, and “memory boy” is the entrance stamp.
Kevin Rumley – TEAMS
Similar artists: Bonny Light Horseman, Phosphorescent, Khruangbin
Genre: Dream Pop
There’s gold in them hills. But it takes people with enough energy, an industrious nature and great creative strength to go and find it. That’s a fair assessment of what the music world is like right now. Much of it is populated by tremendous professionals doing highly predictable things, punching the clock and following a formula. For most of them, the road more frequently taken eventually leads them to a dead end.
There are others, however, that are on the lookout. And they only have a vague idea of what they should be watching out for. All they know is that it glitters and does not resemble famous pop constructions in any significant way. They must also know that once they have it, they need to bring it to the ears of audiences that won’t immediately understand.
Kevin Rumley’s “TEAMS” is a psych-rock journey with a destination. Those who accompany the artist are promised a veritable Shangri-la, a land of peace and relaxation. But there are some twists and turns carved into the road. Rumley has faced his share of those and it wouldn’t feel right not to equip his music with those. But for Rumley, as for his audiences, there’s a payoff at the very end of this, and it’s worth the effort.
