Dream a Garden
| Dream a Garden | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 March 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2014–2015 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:33 | |||
| Label | Night Slugs | |||
| Producer | Jam City | |||
| Jam City chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dream a Garden | ||||
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Dream a Garden is the second studio album by British producer Jam City. It was released on 24 March 2015 by Night Slugs to positive reviews.
Background
[edit]Inspired by the 2011 England riots and the work of bell hooks, Dream a Garden further develops the socio-political conscience of its predecessor, engaging particularly with the effects of neoliberalism.[1][2][3][4] Latham has stated that the album "is about the personal effects of living under capitalism. Why do I feel shit and why do the people I love feel shit when they look at billboards? It was a process of trying to work through those feelings, that culture – what society values that makes you feel like you don’t measure up.”[4] The first single from the album, "Unhappy", critiques corruptive elements of online porn.[5]
The album largely abandons the stark, club-based sound of Latham's debut in favor of a warmer sonic palette characterized by "fuzzed-out beats and washes of reverb-drenched and processed guitar."[4] Latham has described the sound as "not a total break from the world of Classical Curves, but rather an inversion," explaining that "Classical Curves is the surface, Dream a Garden is the exhaustion, frustration, anger, and dizziness underneath.[6] Describing the development of Latham's sound for Clash Music, Will Salmon wrote that "this is still angular, defiantly awkward music, but the diamond-hard production has been replaced with something woozier and stranger. The synths have warped and melted, the beats – when they're there at all – are muffled and subdued."[7] Regarding his decision to sing, Latham stated, “I pushed up against the point where I had to sing. You have to say it and be obvious about it sometimes."[4]
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10[8] |
| Metacritic | 78/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [10] |
| Clash | 7/10[7] |
| Dummy Mag | 8/10[11] |
| The Guardian | [12] |
| The Observer | [13] |
| Pitchfork | 6.5/10[14] |
| Resident Advisor | 3.2/5[15] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes |  [16] |
| Uncut | 8/10[17] |
Dream a Garden received generally positive reviews from critics. The Guardian described the album as "strange and disorientating, idiosyncratic and frequently astonishing, a modern-day psychedelia that owes almost nothing to that genre’s hackneyed conventions and never forgets to temper the sublimity with darkness".[12] Writing for Clash Music, Will Salmon described the album as "optimistic, romantic and frequently lovely record – a startling and deliberate contrast to its predecessor," and wrote that "the garden in this dream is a place of respite from the frightening truths of our increasingly dystopian, poverty-stricken reality."[7] Despite a relatively positive review, The Wire opined that "Dream a Garden only starts to sound radical when it breaks the bounds of its songforms and an eerie melancholy steals in."[9] The Observer described the album as "a slow, fragmentary work taking cues from drone and post-punk, with Latham’s vocals half-buried in layers of sound," writing that it "aims to create friction, to disrupt the party, even if it doesn’t force its message down your throat."[18]
Track listing
[edit]All songs written by Jam City.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Garden Thrives" | 2:34 |
| 2. | "A Walk Down Chapel" | 5:33 |
| 3. | "Unhappy" | 3:37 |
| 4. | "Good Lads, Bad Lads" | 2:32 |
| 5. | "Today" | 4:07 |
| 6. | "Damage" | 4:00 |
| 7. | "Crisis" | 4:15 |
| 8. | "Black Friday" | 4:55 |
| 9. | "Proud" | 5:00 |
Personnel
[edit]- Jam City – performance, production, mixing
- Alex Sushon – mixing
- Liam Howe – engineer
References
[edit]- ^ Wilson, Sophie (25 March 2015). "Weekly Listening: Earl Sweatshirt, Diana Tribute, Jam City and more". Wireless. Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ Saxelby, Ruth. "Jam City Is Fighting The System With Love". The Fader. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ Ravens, Chal. "Darkest dreaming: Jam City dismantles his world". Fact (UK magazine). The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d Macpherson, Alex (19 March 2015). "Jam City's songs of resistance are a reaction to 'living under capitalism', says Jack Latham". The National. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ Eede, Christian. "Positive Force: An Interview With Jam City". The Quietus. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ Lindsay, Cam. "We Talked to Jam City About His New Protest Record, the Angry But Still Hopeful 'Dream a Garden'". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ a b c Salmon, Will (27 March 2015). "Jam City - Dream A Garden". Clash Magazine.
- ^ "Dream a Garden by Jam City (reviews)". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Dream a Garden by Jam City Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. Review of Dream a Garden at AllMusic. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- ^ Dummy Mag
- ^ a b Petridis, Alexis. "Jam City: Dream a Garden review – modern psychedelia with a dark edge". Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ Fox, Killian (22 March 2015). "Jam City: Dream a Garden review – a departure from Jack Latham's glossy debut". Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ Pitchfork Media
- ^ Resident Advisor
- ^ Tiny Mix Tapes
- ^ Uncut
- ^ The Observer
- ^ Discogs