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Dreamscape, "La-Di-Da Recordings"
Like many bands, Dreamscape came about as an antecedent to the oblique, often challenging pop of The Cure and The Smiths, and tried to make a name in the then-nascent shoegaze scene. With only one single and one 12" EP in their discography, they have been barely a historical footnote, if that. This disc compiles that EP, an unreleased second EP, and a single incomplete track. Looking back, their sound may not be entirely unique, but it makes for a great combination, and is performed with such earnestness and passion that transcends time and labels.
Dreamscape was the trio of Scott Purnell, Jamie Gingell (both of whom were later members of Secret Shine) and Rebecca Rawlings on vocals.The first four songs here make up the unreleased Greater Than God EP from 1993, followed by the released Cradle EP (1992), and one demo, the only surviving track from their final sessions.Oddly enough the "Blackflower" 7" referenced in the liner notes does not appear here, potentially for legal reasons, since the other material here was recorded for the La-Di-Da label specifically.
Probably the clearest parallel to draw would be, at least superficially, the Cocteau Twins.This is largely due to the chiming guitars and very obvious drum machine (for Dreamscape, a then-contemporary Alesis SR-16), and use of ethereal female vocals.However, the material for the unreleased Greater Than God EP lacks the excessive reverb in the production, and Rawlings' vocals are not only clear, they are actually understandable, so the connection is tenuous at best."Separate Sense" and "Finally Through" hinge largely on the stiff, unnatural sounding drums, the latter especially focusing on the rhythm track.The former mixes up the dynamics more, balancing quiet, vocal heavy passages with rich, soaring instrumental ones.
The Cradle tracks employ a bit more processing and effects, but in a tasteful and restrained manner."Nine Times to Die" is where the reverb takes more of the focus, enshrouding synth strings and a simple metronomic beat leading to a song that just leans a bit too far into repetition.The longer "Dreamsleep Eternal" does this the right way, mixing the stiff beats and beautiful vocals with dense, complex layers of guitar and keyboards."No More But Thought," the unfinished demo, sadly shows what could have been:starting with the drums right from "Just Like Honey," the final track heads into more aggressive territories, with faster tempo and heavier distortion on the guitar.The sound overall is rawer and harsher, and not due to the condition of the original tapes (there are a few obvious skips and pops to be heard, but nothing problematic), but a different edge the band was working on.Sadly, this song was never finished, nor have any of these other pieces from these sessions survived.
Dreamscape may have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time:the early 1990s in which they were active was a fertile time for the UK alternative scene, and surely many really good bands were lost in the shuffle, spurned for the sake of groups with more style than substance.Dreamscape would not have attained the same level of critical acclaim that My Bloody Valentine or the like did if people had been more aware of them, these recordings are certainly a lot better than many of their contemporaries.The delicate vocals, rich guitars and stiff drum machines are certainly of the era, but they have aged quite well.Hopefully this wider release will at least bring attention to a forgotten band, and with the climate towards '90s alternative nostalgia and shoegaze revivalism, it is perched to do so quite well.
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