Jack Feeny reviews: The Dream Syndicate

	The Days of Wine and Roses (1982)
	"In this world there is one equation - the harder you work the higher your station"
	Best Tracks: Tell Me When it's Over, Definitely Clean, That's What You Always Say, Then She Remembers, The Days of Wine and Roses

There are (at least) two lazy cliches that music journalists perennially fall back upon and I strive officiously to avoid both. One is referring to the hype surrounding an album and thereby unavoidably judging it by those terms and the other is to cloak the review with comparisons to other bands, which does a disservice to both the band itself and the reader. Indeed, it would be interesting to try and review this entire album without mentioning the name of a former cult band but I am afraid the shadows of Mssrs Reed, Cale, Morrison, Tucker and Yule simply loom too large in this instance. In the early eighties the Velvet Underground's cultural renaissance was only just starting to gather momentum but in this day and age, when seemingly every band has heard every other one, one simply cannot listen to this album without thinking of the classic material it so blatantly recalls. It is fortunate, then, that in knocking off wholesale the shtick of the Velvet Underground the Dream Syndicate did such an immensely impressive job that even the fiercest of VU fans cannot help but admire. Of course, if you are going to rip off an old band it is hard to go wrong with the Velvet Underground (you will at least be cool, even if you fail to be any good) and the Dream Syndicate did so in the best possible manner. The twist, if you will, lies in the fact they managed to combine both facets of the Velvets' approach into one superb package. In terms of arrangements and production the band took the avant-garde wall of noise approach of the Velvets' first two albums, with lo-fi production, a hypnotic rhythm section, and squealing feedback, and married it to a set of melodies from the VU's latter two albums, the Yule duo of downbeat hooks and gentle lyricism. Although it is a little over-zealous to brand every track as a VU tribute there is no doubting the two most successful tracks are those that force the unhinged musical violence against the tightest of melodies. The imperial "Then She Remembers" is a perfect example of the highlights of Loaded dining out with the insanity of White Light/White Heat with Steve Wynn's vitriolic vocals combining wonderfully with the wrestling of his guitar to produce an unlikely wall of noise and melody. The epic title track takes such cross-breeding to its extreme with Wynn's perfectly drawled melody giving way to an extended battle with his own guitar, producing the most compelling of results. Not all songs are so obviously indebted to the world's coolest band, though, and the opening "Tell Me When It's Over" sticks more to the standards of eighties alt-rock with its sliding guitar riff and Wynn's detached vocals following the most hypnotic of melodies. "That's What You Always Say" follows a similar vein, although is of a darker nature, and the jaunty "Definitely Clean" follows an almost rockabilly rhythm, again with a strangled lead guitar. Unfortunately, the album slows down on the second side (before the explosive finale of the title track) with numbers that swap maudlin too much for melody and getting bassist Kendra Smith to sing one number smacks of taking the VU tribute a touch too far. In terms of one band seeking to replicate the success of another, though, there are few more successful instances than this one. Indeed, this album actually benefits from a greater focus than Lou Reed and co managed themselves and as a result matches all but their heroes' greatest successes.

It's great to come across another review of this amazing album. I agree with most of your assessments, even though I'm probably more of a fanboy worshipping at the altar of Wynn & Co. (sort of). I was a bit surprised that you didn't pick Precoda's "Halloween" as a highlight, but at least you acknowledged the greatness of the title track, which is probably one of my favorite 80's songs. I don't know whether you're intending to explore the rest of their catalogue - you'll probably know there's no studio album even cmong close to this one - song-wise, but especially sound-wise. If there's one other release I'm sure you'll like a LOT, it's the Live at Raji's album, which was re-released last year or so and now consists of two CD's. It's pretty expensive, but has some incredible guitar duels and stellar songs, if you don't know what to ask for your birthday... Also: Wynn's Here Come the Miracles is still my favorite album of this decade so far (and even better than The Days of Wine and Roses, imo), so if you ever come across a cheap copy...