Young Dreams - Between Places

Maifeld Derby 2013 (II)

Eine Band aus Bergen, Norwegen, geht beim Maifeld Derby an den Start, um das Publikum mit psychedelischem Pop zwischen The Beach Boys und Yeasayer zu begeistern. Das Lineup von Young Dreams ist ebenso schwer zu greifen, wie die komplex arrangierten Songs: Bekannt ist, dass Mathias Tellez der Band voran steht, am Album wirkten jedoch zahlreiche Musiker mit und man darf gespannt sein, wie viele Menschen in Mannheim auf der Bühne stehen werden, wird doch wahlweise Rune Vanderskog oder Chris Holm als weiteres festes Bandmitglied genannt und schwanken die Zahlen zwischen vier und zwölf Musikern.  

Die aktuelle Single aus "Between Places", dem Debütalbum von Young Dreams, heißt "Fog Of War". Das dazugehörige Video kann man hier sehen, darunter folgen einige Auszüge aus Plattenkritiken und die Möglichkeit, das Album komplett zu hören:

Previous single ‘Fog of War’ captures the essence of the band well – the name “Young Dreams” seems like a manifesto as much as a moniker. The song’s hyperactive blend of neon keys, bursts of orchestration and strung-out vocals with lyrics like “There’s nothing here that’s clear to me” sounds like the wide-eyed optimism mixed with confusion of teenage years, all fluttering synths and palpitating heartbeats. The immediacy of it is clear here but the sprawling explorative nature of the album is similar too, and it’s genuinely exciting to hear a band who seem to think they can do it all. They make a decent attempt at condensing the large scope of their influences, but occasionally it overwhelms.

‘The Girl That Taught Me To Drink and Fight’ initially sounds like a Deerhunter song mashed up with the intricate string swells of Owen Pallet and the staggered drums make it sound pretty huge before slipping into tippy-tappy math guitars with shades of Beach House-style organs and harmonised vocals. This barely rests into its groove before it descends into a shapeless jam and finally finds its way back to the chorus about five minutes after leaving it. Among it all there are fleeting moments of beauty, but at eleven minutes long it’s a pop song trapped in the body of something else entirely.

In their most concentrated form though, like the tropical pop burst of ‘Dream Alone, Wake Together’, this band can be exhilarating in their measured combination of experimentation and crowd-pleasing hooks. Despite some awful lyrics about “needing a charge for my mobile phone” the jangling guitar of ‘First Days of Something’ is also quite the earworm. Closing track, the self-titled ‘Young Dreams’, is another example as the symphonic swells along side rolling drums and Matias Tellez’s gentle vocals create perfect sunset pop.

It’s arguably harsh to criticise a debut album for being too ambitious but it’s precisely that which will hold back this album from being one of the most talked-about of the year. With so much going on there are just not enough recurring hooks to keep listeners coming back. And for something that essentially aspires to be a pop album, that’s a problem. If you like your summer pop to keep you on your toes then this is definitely for you. Otherwise this is an impressively ambitious if somewhat misguided debut from a band well worth keeping tabs on.

(The Line Of Best Fit)

“First Days of Something” one of the albums many highlights, deems the most approachable track. Blooming with each delicate background harmony, the song’s instrumentation is rich with vibrant synth-lines and Zimbabwean-style guitar rifts. As the track progresses it utilizes all previous instrumentation into a frenzy of countless melodies. The track’s alluring indie-pop landscape is a delightful addition to any summer playlist. However, the album’s most intriguing moment takes place at “Through The Turnstiles,” coming close to nearly seven and a half minutes in length, this particular track draws from the vocal stylings of Brian Wilson and heightens them to the most whimsical degree. The contrast between orchestral bliss and dance-floor ready synth-lines pulls the listener in a time warp, reciting musical formulas from 60’s dream pop to 90’s trance. It’s the type of epic track that encompasses music’s densely populated genres and morphs them into something so much more.

Between Places is an album that takes a perfectly crafted indie-pop formula and amplifies it with all the bells and whistles. Young Dreams bombastic approach to indie-pop constructs a collection of songs that prove to be just as grand as you envision them in your mind.

(KZUU)