Dream The Electric Sleep - Beneath The Dark Wide Sky album review

Blackouts and revelations from the Kentucky post-proggers Dream The Electric Sleep

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Dream The Electric Sleep - Beneath The Dark Wide Sky album art

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The follow-up to 2014’s Heretics has all the huge melodies and arena-filling crescendos of its predecessor, only now there is a socio-political imperative: Beneath… was inspired by photographs taken of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s by American photographer Dorothea Lange, who according to singer-guitarist Matt Page, “believed photographs had the ability to shine an objective light on issues of social justice and environmental degradation and could be used to motivate social and political change”.

The songs here sound as though Page has something important to impart: he’s on a proselytising mission. Recorded at Rock Falcon Studio outside of Nashville with Nick Raskulinecz, a Grammy-winning producer who has worked with Foo Fighters and Rush, the music has a declamatory urgency to match the muscular choruses.

Let The Light Flood In features U2-circa-1984 bombastics while We Who Blackout The Sun suggests the tar-black lustre of Soundgarden’s Superunknown, if not in just the title. Beneath… is certainly accomplished and you can imagine DTES accruing a loyal following on the live circuit if they haven’t already with this monumental, melodic pummel.

Limelight: Dream The Electric Sleep

Dream The Electric Sleep launch Flight video

Dream The Electric Sleep launch Let The Flood Light In video

Paul Lester
Paul Lester

Paul Lester is the editor of Record Collector. He began freelancing for Melody Maker in the late 80s, and was later made Features Editor. He was a member of the team that launched Uncut Magazine, where he became Deputy Editor. In 2006 he went freelance again and has written for The Guardian, The Times, the Sunday Times, the Telegraph, Classic Rock, Q and the Jewish Chronicle. He has also written books on Oasis, Blur, Pulp, Bjork, The Verve, Gang Of Four, Wire, Lady Gaga, Robbie Williams, the Spice Girls, and Pink.