"Always And Everywhere" - Reviewed by Lettere Dall' Underground (Italy, January 2019)

 

"Imaginary Dreamers: The Urgency Of Passion (Translated by Google)

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What do you need to make music? It may seem a trivial, obvious question, which will find many similar answers. Instead it is not. Or rather the answer is very simple but it contains many other things. What do you need to make music? Passion. Passion that leads you to throw yourself into a well whose bottom cannot be seen. It doesn't matter if you are good, if you have studied infinitely, if you practice every day. All of that is useless if you don't have the passion. If you don't have the urgency to compose, to write, to throw yourself.

 

This blog has always been born with the intention of being a colorful container of what is the music I like. In that sense, I never wanted to set limits. I didn't want the music to be told to be just the one that is most "famous" as famous as the music I listen to may be. For this reason, every time someone has "knocked" on the different virtual doors that allow you to get in touch with me, I have always been available to receive and listen to the material of any artist, without it being important if this artist was under contract with some house record or other. Unfortunately, for reasons of time and work, there are many works that I have listened to but which so far I have not been able to review. I forced myself that this will never happen again, in 2019.

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For that reason today I find myself talking to you about an English power trio called Imaginary Dreamers who kept us listening to their first album, the result of different compositions from singer and guitarist Kevin, born in different periods and then perfected, together with the work and arrangements of the whole group.

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On this record there is something I like because it reminds me of the rehearsal room environment, of the first small and big goals that each band wins; that is, a rough, aggressive sound, practically not cared for at all. It's a wild direct take, it's like all types of recordings of this genre: the game is double, on the one hand there is no space, it has embellishments, touch-ups, very elaborate arrangements but on the other there is the soul of music, the fury of making you feel exactly what you are, without disguises, without veils. Naked and pure music. And in a world where technologically it becomes easier and easier to correct everything, it is to be thanked that there are still those who have the courage to be seen for what they are.

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But what do Imaginary Dreamers do ? The choice I mentioned earlier is also justified for that. Their music is an alternative rock that ranges between other genres, having a clear root in the 90s. Through the nine tracks of this record we go from those alt. moments to others almost sludge rock, to some grunge touch and some psych rock research. All with the imposition, beautifully, of the power trio, to play what is within one's possibilities, without adding anything else and without taking anything away. For that, everything becomes essential, but an eye, essential does not mean simple. In fact, the thick energy in this disc is important and the pieces that form part of it become a series of cards that come out of the deck without predictability. For this reason, this is a record that can be listened to without getting bored, without having the impression of having already listened to everything with the first tracks. For completeness and consistency I must, in all cases, be absolutely objective and indicate certain aspects that could be improved and which are the shortcomings of this work. As said before, this is a rough disc, direct and this from two different readings. On the one hand it is a courageous and shareable artistic choice, on the other it extends into elements that must necessarily be improved. On a sound level, the mix is ​​not always perfect and different choices could be made for each instrument. A little definition is missing. In addition, the voice is not always perfect, there are small discordances that lie in the limit between a character nuance, which is fine, and a technical deficiency. They are not great things, but especially as regards the sound part, it is difficult for a record company to want to decide to distribute this record as it is.

 

For all this, this first work of the Imaginary Dreamers must be seen as a raw material, the starting point from which much more can be obtained. The preconditions are there, there is the musical mastery of what is played, there is originality in proposing a series of very different songs that turn well. There is a pleasant harmony, which is fundamental when it comes to a power trio. It only lacks cleaning, refining, correcting small things. Because music, like life, is an inexhaustible path.

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I take two songs from this record, certainly very illuminating on the different sonic intentions of the band.

The first is Azalea, the track that opens the disc is that makes you think you are in front of a sludge disc . Very powerful, acidic, raw and interesting. You feel the energy, you play a lot, and well with the dynamics. One of the best songs of this work.

 The second is Secrets of May. Very, very 90s. More intimate than the previous song. But even if it seems to be a calmer song, it actually contains a large dose of gray melancholy. A nice step back in time.

 

 

Imaginary Dreamers is a job that comes out of passion, from necessity, which often becomes an urge to build songs that reflect what you feel, what you live and what has "grown" musically for us. Being the first work of this project, I believe that it is possible to forgive certain smudges to be treated better on a second album."

 

Rated 7/10

Imaginary Dreamers - Imaginary Dreamers

self-produced

17.11.2018 release

 

Published by Lettere Dall' Underground in  2019 by Changa. See the original review by clicking here