Summary:The third full-length release for the British psychedelic pop band led by Dave Bayley (who also produced the album) was executive produced by Paul Epworth.
It’s a sun-drenched record of summer tunes that will sound even better when heard at festivals with a tinnie in hand. Yet look behind glittering shells of these tunes and you’ll find hugely personal stories, told with new strength and resilience.
Glass Animals' most cohesive and satisfying album to date, Dreamland is a well-deserved triumph that's as rewarding for fans to hear as it was for the band to make.
Bleak memories are retold here, and at times you really have to stick with Bayley with a sympathetic ear as the album extends to 16 tracks, including childhood interludes. But it’s delivered in an exuberant manner and, despite some very profound lyrics, songs such as singles Heat Waves and Your Love (Déjà Vu) would have had kids dancing at the festivals in the summer sunshine.
Despite the amount of effort that appears at the surface, from the several websites to the layered and unique production, Dreamland is a project that’s as momentarily annoying as it is infinitely forgettable.
There is NOTHING that compares to the way that this album makes me feel. Like I feel like There is something WRONG with me because theThere is NOTHING that compares to the way that this album makes me feel. Like I feel like There is something WRONG with me because the feeelings that come from listening to “heat waves” and “hot sugar” make me feel somewhat insane. Like this is what love feels like?!? Anyways, greatest album in the history of the universe.…Expand
From the feeling of confusion and dreaminess in dreamland to the kafkaesque feeling of falling in and out of love presented in tangerine andFrom the feeling of confusion and dreaminess in dreamland to the kafkaesque feeling of falling in and out of love presented in tangerine and your love. To the moments of silence, and the feeling of summer memories makes this a perfect album for me.…Expand
Excelente album de Glass Animals. De principio a fin cuenta con pasajes, texturas y melodías únicas y diferentes entre si. Es de esos discosExcelente album de Glass Animals. De principio a fin cuenta con pasajes, texturas y melodías únicas y diferentes entre si. Es de esos discos que se disfrutan muchísimo con la luz apagada y los ojos cerrados. Realmente un sueño!…Expand
'Dreamland' is the theater in which Glass Animals crafted a terrific atmosphere. If Dave Bayley's distorted voice can be quite repelling and'Dreamland' is the theater in which Glass Animals crafted a terrific atmosphere. If Dave Bayley's distorted voice can be quite repelling and monotone as you reach the bottom of the tracklist, the content is definitely here to catch up. It is daring, provocative, poetic, deep and original all along.
The 'Tokyo Drifting' track featuring Denzel Curry deserves nothing less than a ten out of ten : both Glass Animals and Denzel are raging on a marvelous firework on here. This particular track showcases the ambitious patterns and structures Glass Animals can produce.
Interludes are as short as they bring some dynamism to the record that looks more like a huge musical fresco rather than a conventional one. In a word it is more eclectic than the majority of other Pop/Rock contemporary works. They surprisingly managed to make it personal yet highly popular and contagious.…Expand
When I initially listened to this album I was expecting my score to be MUCH lower. However it has managed to surpass my rather lowWhen I initially listened to this album I was expecting my score to be MUCH lower. However it has managed to surpass my rather low expectations (I wasn't keen on the majority of the teasers).
There are tracks that feel like classic Glass Animals but being taken in a different direction that's been influenced by Dave's recent producing exploits for 'trap' artists (Tangerine). The most obvious sign of this is the way most of the beats seem to have been created through machine percussion as opposed to a studio drum kit. While this works very well in the case of Tangerine, there is a sense of this becoming a repetitive trait after a few tracks (just a kick drum or two would be fine!)
That said, the second half of the album is probably better than the first. The songs feel more stripped back, honest and raw. The build on It's All So Incredibly Loud is satisfying while Domestic Bliss feels extremely dreamy (even if the lyrical matter doesn't really fit this kind of vibe).
Quite a lot of this album feels like it varies between good (above tracks and Your Love) and quite good (Space Ghost, Waterfalls... and Heat Waves). Unfortunately there are still one or two which are far off Glass Animals' best work. Helium does not feel like a coherent song, let alone a strong album closer, as it jars between two different ideas for the same song, a reprise of the album's opener and the home movies that intersperse the album. Melon and the Coconut also feels it could do with a bit more life being put into it; it's just a bit too spaced out.
Overall, this is probably the weakest album from Glass Animals to date, and I'm still giving it a 7! It shows the band are keen to continue evolving their sound. Even if this does result in a few misses, the majority hit the right spots which many will be able to relate to some points in their lives.…Expand
