Opulent while maintaining a stripped-down stance, pacificUV‘s latest release After the Dream You Are Awake conjures up images of loneliness and longing, with a touch of creepiness to accompany the edgy synths and whispered lyrics. It’s a slight departure for the Athens, Ga. band, whose previous work is more poppy and bouncy, but a direction that suits the foursome well.
Enlisting lyrical help from poet Laura Solomon, pacificUV founder/lead singer Clay Jordan has toned down the tempo to allow the words to cascade over the subtle palate, a minimalism that benefits both aspects. It harkens to the remarkable work of M83′s Anthony Gonzalez, whose disturbing “Car Chase Terror” from Before the Dawn Heals Us has stayed with me for years. That feeling there’s something eerie around the corner permeates After the Dream, which makes for an active listen.
Opening track “24 Frames” is in the M83 sweet spot (not a bad place to be), a mix of spacey synths and Lemuel Hayes’ methodical drum beat is backed by breathy lyrics from Jordan and Solomon. It segues nicely into “Christine,” a stalker song with the chilling lyrics “Christine/When you move I follow you/Endlessly” and “I am the eye that never blinks.” You gotta hope that if your name is Christine, people don’t start saying it’s a song about you.
From a musical point, “Russians” moves back into more familiar pacificUV territory, but Solomon’s voice gives it a fresh tinge. The shared singing from Solomon and Jordan give it an upbeat xx mood, which is replicated in “Wolves Again,” a song Jordan has said is about men who ogle women in the street and how they handle these “wolves.”
Are there missteps? Somewhat. Not sure the reason for including the Billy Idol cover of “Eyes Without A Face” aside from the fact it keeps the creepy factor at a high level. Among Idol’s catalog it’s not one of his best, though pacificUV strips it down here to decent results. It’s an odd bump in the nine-song album and messes with the continuity.
But the lush “American Lovers” fits right in, it has a confident mix of new and old and is as novel in 1983 as it is in 2013. A quiet guitar roams through the background, stringing the track together. It’s a gem late in the album.
After the Dream You Are Awake is a stalwart piece of work showing a band not afraid to take chances by doing less, and admirable trait in this world of excess. It’s an important turning point for pacificUV as it moves on an adventurous path.
