Opener “Filter Me Through You” may book ahead at just a hair slower tempo than its rough analogs “Tell Me When It’s Over” and “Still Holding on to You,” but it’s darker and more tense, and the guitar sound is beefier and more gnarled than ever, with Wynn and guitarist Jason Victor’s dueling solos spiraling to the sky. That helps a sweet, glimmery song like “Like Mary”-with its gentle, strummy chorus and ethereal guitar leads-sound warmer and more melodic than it might have back in the day.Įven on that song, however, Wynn doesn’t omit Reed-like barbs like “She had pictures of her children/She remembered all of their names” and “He loved her like a sister/He loved her like a mom.” How Did I Find Myself Here? is just as noisy, heavy, and cantankerous as the Dream Syndicate’s original four albums. In the ’80s, he was doing the world’s most obvious Lou Reed impression but here he sounds like a slightly more grizzled Tom Petty. With the exception of a guest appearance by original bassist Kendra Smith, the only remaining original members are drummer Dennis Duck and frontman Steve Wynn, whose solo work has often trended in a poppier, garage-ier direction. The album assuredly follows the template of the band’s first two classic albums, 1982’s The Days of Wine and Roses and 1984’s Medicine Show, both of which alternated wiry, caustic rock songs with hazy, slow-burning jams.Ī lot, naturally, has changed since then, including the band’s lineup. I tried them all out in random order in my home studio just to see how they would feel and that one-take test run is the vocal you hear! There’s just so much lightning-in-a-jar, first-take excitement on this record.”īelow, hear “The Regulator” for yourself - and check out the album cover and full tracklisting.The Dream Syndicate’s first album in 29 years, How Did I Find Myself Here?, is the best kind of nostalgia kick: It effortlessly recalls the band’s much-too-short original run while also settling into a lived-in, comfortable groove. I collected a list of random, unconnected lyric ideas that I kept on my phone. Jason and I were kicking pedals on like lab monkeys in a laboratory and Mark was a lightning rod, uniting all of those elements into one tough groove. Stephen grabbed an electric sitar because it was the first thing he saw. There was an early ’70s drum machine - a Maestro Rhythm King, the same model used on There’s A Riot Goin’ On - with Dennis locking in and setting the pace. “‘The Regulator’ is a microcosm of the entire record-It was just a formless, trippy mass as we all started playing together. Of that epic opening jam, Wynn says in a statement: It’s the longest song on an album full of long songs the shortest track is 7 1/2 minutes long. are previewing the new LP with the 20-minute album opener “The Regulator,” a droning jam that finds the band assisted by Stephen McCarthy of The Long Ryders on sitar and guest saxman Marcus Tenney. The reunited Dream Syndicate released their first album in 29 years in 2017, a record titled How Did I Find Myself Here?, and a follow-up, These Times, in 2019. (Keyboardist Chris Cacavas, formerly of Green on Red, is now an official member of the band, too.) It’s available to pre-order now via .īandleader Steve Wynn put The Dream Syndicate back together in 2012, enlisting original drummer Dennis Duck, bassist Mark Walton (who came on board after 1984’s Medicine Show) and guitarist Jason Victor. The new album, the band’s seventh overall, is set to be released on vinyl, CD and digitally on April 10 via ANTI- Records. Reunited Paisley Underground-era rockers The Dream Syndicate this spring will release their third album of the new century, a collection of new songs called The Universe Inside that’s only five tracks long but clocks in at nearly an hour, thanks in part to 20-minute opening jam “The Regulator” - which you can hear in its entirety below.
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