Dreamscape emerged during the early 90’s heyday of shoegaze,
and as quickly as they hit the scene they drifted back into obscurity. In the three years of their existence,
1990-93, the trio of Rebecca Rawlings, Scott Purnell and Jamie Gingell didn’t
leave a vast collection of music behind, but what remained has now been
carefully put back together by kranky and released as La-Di-Da Recordings. The
nine-track compilation covers the essential work of this short-lived band and
sheds light on some seriously good shoegaze, a genre that has been resurrected
outright over the past few years.
La-Di-Da hits on
all the late 80’s/early 90’s cornerstones, and anyone with a penchant for
Cocteau Twins, Lush, Ride or Slowdive will warm up to Dreamscape’s ethereal brand of gothic pop almost
immediately. The warm inviting tones of
Rawlings’ voice remain a highlight throughout the record, and when she’s backed
up with solid guitar work as on ‘So Far From Belief,’ ‘Finally Through,’ and
‘Greater Than God’ the combination is nothing short of intoxicating.
The record is split between the first four tracks, which
were meant to be part of an album prior to the band breaking up, and the latter
half which is made up of the band’s 1992 EP Cradle. The first half of La-Di-Da is far more upbeat than the second half, featuring songs
that are oriented more towards pop than to noise. These are the songs where Rawlings voice is
given the time to shine. The second half
however, is a much darker affair all together.
‘Cradle,’ ‘Nine Times To Die’ and ‘No More But Thought’ shoot for
ethereal dream world this band was named for.
Though their output was minimal when they were together it
is still easy to hear Dreamscape’s influence, along with countless other
shoegaze bands, coursing through the indie pop of today. Now, thanks to kranky, we’re allowed to enjoy
this Bristol trio anew. During their
time together they may have toiled away in obscurity, but the ethereal wash of
their songs is right at home in the modern world.
Grade: B+
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