Erbistock Mill
By The Lucid Dream
The first impression of Carlise based The Lucid Dream is of 80's industrial Goth. The drumbeat starts, and keeps going, with no fills or frills. The guitars churn out a repetitive riff continually throughout each track with the level of swirling feedback and effects droning, growing and falling as the track progresses. Although it doesn't feel quite right to use the word progress, as the band appear to want to recreate the sounds of the 80's and early nineties light industrial rock.
They have achieved acclaim from the likes of Steve Lamaq, but this EP offers up future promise rather than anything of great excitement now. Comparisons with the Jesus and Mary Chain and Spacemen 3 appear too complimentary for this CD, but this is the direction they're heading in. Unfortunately the lyrics leave a lot to be desired, "got a devil on my shoulder" and "I'm coming down" are phrases heard many times before, which puts the emphasis on the music. You could say they create a moody soundscape, but with not enough variety or imagination to pull listeners in. Song writing is replaced by effects and hand clap drum beats. Not bad, just dull.
Live I would expect them to sound different every time, with the feedback and psychedelic effects changing to suit their moods. I would expect a good show, and would probably like them a whole lot more, but on CD they have failed to pull me down into their well of introspection and posturing.
