Evermore - Dreams

Fri 20th Aug, 2004 in Music Reviews

Dreams - the debut album from NZ trio Evermore – is a huge step forward from the band’s prior two EPs; one on par with Something For Kate’s sojourn from Beautiful Sharks to their breakthrough album, Echolalia. Indeed, progressions such as this are much admired at any stage in a band’s career, much less with their initial full-length release. More pertinently, Dreams possesses the quality and depth of a third album: one that has benefited from the niche-finding debut as well as the traditionally difficult follow-up release. What has remained consistent throughout Evermore’s three releases; however, is the band’s rare ability for perfect balance and accord both between tracks and within each individual song. Superfluous solos or flashy guitars are steadily avoided and instead, an affinity for subtitles is apparent. These subtitles often come in the form of shimmering keyboards (ostensibly the new instrument of choice for the band’s bass player). Said keyboard strains such as those that open current single It’s Too Late, occur frequently throughout Dreams and offer an apt combination with the equally as prevalent shining melodies.

As mentioned, while excessive guitars have never been apart of the band’s sounds, their debut appears to signify Evermore’s shift to the decidedly intricate. In fact, guitars are all but muted on some tracks by lush keyboards, palpable harmonies and swirling strings. That said, striking guitar moments have not been altogether replaced but rather are now embedded in the many layers that, presumably, the production on the band’s prior EPs did not afford. More specifically, sweeping strings carry many of the songs on Dreams; explicitly, on Into The Ocean where said strings are purposefully interrupted by splicing riffs.

Following the success of current single, sterling pop number It’s Too Late, the similarly constructed For One Day would be the next obvious track to be lifted from the album. Both tunes are hook-laden with purposefully placed soaring melodies – slick enough to ensure radio suitability and indeed a relatable introduction to the rest of the album. The most interesting fraction of Dreams is irrefutably the opener, Dreaming…Pt.1 and its completion on the fifth track, Dreaming…Pt.2’. Part one of said split is essentially comprised of etheral instrumentation and is contintinued onto part two with a plaintive piano number that would not be out of place on The Sleepy Jackson’s album Lovers. Here Evermore’s frontman, Jon manages to capture the old man, pack-a-day vocal cords of Luke Steele, offering a truly outstanding comparision to the remainder of the album’s tracks, all drenched in his remarkably lucid vocals.