DREAMLAND

Dreamland is a debut by French band Eidôlon. It is somewhat limited in the symphonic rock department (only delivering this genre of music on a few tracks); instead, it lays out spacey, atmospheric passages peppered with narration, interspersed with indie-rock songs. While not a bad album, it does not satisfy consistently (the introduction to the epic is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard, however). The vocals are immature-sounding in terms of production (it's a bit like listening to a good garage band).

"Part One - Vacuum: Une Extrême Et Vague Thulé" Following several minutes of atmospheric washes of sound (and some narration in the beginning), a lone bass emerges from the noise. The song proper involves an electric guitar riff similar to that of Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be."

"Part Two - Idein: La Neige Des Lis Inclin" Stunning violin pours forth a bittersweet melody that whisks me away to some other world, if only temporarily. A gentle electric guitar follows. Once the rest of the band enters- organ, drums, and bass- the melodies flow like a precious wine. A Pink Floyd-like bass riff assumes command, bringing in a barrage of noise. The narration returns, narration which is rather similar to that on Rick Wakeman's live album Journey to the Centre of the Earth. It becomes decidedly minimalistic, using what seems to be a single synthesizer for quite some time, the only variation being a quaking effect.

"Part Three - Topos: Par Les Montagnes" A grungy bass and a straightforward beat is joined by organ and a deep voice.

"Part Four - Reflexum: Les Réminiscences Drapées Du Passé" If the organ on the previous track was anything to speak of, the organ on this piece is excellent, as it keeps a frantic pace and wrestles with the bass in a great musical exhibition.

"Part Five ? Illusio" A stark and lengthy synthesizer passage carries on, and when something interesting actually happens, it's rather sudden and unexpected. It's a Mellotron-laden chord progression with a simple bass and drums backing it. It sounds nice, but isn't anything interesting, even when the organ, piano, and violin enter in turn- this is largely the problem with using such a trite chord progression and maintaining an insipid rhythm. The last section of the piece has something of a drum solo and a disjointed bass and Mellotron meandering underneath it, followed by more narration.

"Part Six - Ontology: Jamais Tel Mystère" Delicate piano and gorgeous violin form the foundation for an unconvincing, rather fragile vocal.

"Part Seven - Logos: Une Extrême Et Vague Thulé" The final composition is a fine rocker, with good use of guitars and violin flourishes lending it a Kansas flair. The vocals are mediocre, again making the recording sound somewhat like an amateurish recording, but for me, that can give it a certain appeal.