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Windy and Carl, "The Dream House"
The first new full-length in five years from these drifters could not have been christened any more appropriately. Over three quarters of an hour Windy and Carl build dreams. Isolating all the emptiness and distance sometimes found in the mind and soul, they soothe everything away in a blur of tones that would make the local cathedral sound positively heavenly.As soon as "The Eternal Struggle" begins it is clear that that the duo is addressing the demons that get a chance to express themselves in the middle of the night, at the most frightening moments of human exposure and vulnerability. But, instead of being a dark album, every moment of this album is akin to being elevated out of a nightmare and into the warm and welcoming hands of the daytime. The wavering hum that begins the album is the last moment of fear and the first moment of some understanding, the feeling of calm and relaxation that hits as soon as the adrenaline pumps itself out and allows the muscles to relax.
All the force and energy associated with pain is redirected, breathing slows, ideas slowly begin to form, and the self is recaptured, allowed some room to move about instead of being controlled by elementary fear and alertness. More and more tones pile on top of still more tones until an impossible slide of sound has been solidified.
For just a brief moment it's obvious what Windy and Carl up to, but before it can be grasped, they move on, emphasizing the idea of infinite, incomplete, and satisfying composition. The only sure thing on this record is change. At times a heavily subdued and relegated bass line seems to pump away in the background, like the pulse of the heart or the tick of a clock, but it's only there momentarily, completely submerged beneath the hovering choir that permeates the entire album, like the light of the moon shifting on water. It's haunting, at times its removes me from the room and traps me, the very essence of the dark surrounding my head.
There is a depressing lean to the music, but the beauty it exudes stands above whatever desolation comes with the passing of dreams.
The second disc is another chance for everyone to hear Dedications to Flea, an EP released on Brainwashed and dedicated to the duo's dog, Flea. The liner notes detail the life and death of this pup and, as corny as this may be, is actually a bit heart-wrenching. I guess it all depends on how much of an animal lover one is. The use of sound from their walks with Flea only adds to the weight of the album and it is a fine compliment (as different as it is from The Dream House) to an already excellent album. Some drone groups seem to carry with them an emptiness that no amount of arrangement could fix, but The Dream House seems full, brimming over with a misty breath that is fulfilling, brilliant, and sometimes sad.
Listening to the album from start to finish is a wonderful experience, sounding more human and adventurous than any other album this year.
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