Dream a Garden

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Dream a Garden
Studio album by
Jam City
Released24 March 2015 (2015-03-24)
Recorded2014–2015
Genre
Length36:33
LabelNight Slugs
ProducerJam City
Jam City chronology
Classical Curves
(2012) 		Dream a Garden
(2015) 		Pillowland
(2020)
Singles from Dream a Garden
  1. "Unhappy"
    Released: October 2014
  2. "Proud"
    Released: February 2015

Dream a Garden is the second studio album by British producer Jam City. It was released on 24 March 2015 by Night Slugs to positive reviews.

Background[edit]

Inspired by the 2011 England riots and the work of bell hooks, Dream a Garden further develops the socio-political conscience of its predecessor, engaging particularly with the effects of neoliberalism.[1][2][3][4] Latham has stated that the album "is about the personal effects of living under capitalism. Why do I feel shit and why do the people I love feel shit when they look at billboards? It was a process of trying to work through those feelings, that culture – what society values that makes you feel like you don’t measure up.”[4] The first single from the album, "Unhappy", critiques corruptive elements of online porn.[5]

The album largely abandons the stark, club-based sound of Latham's debut in favor of a warmer sonic palette characterized by "fuzzed-out beats and washes of reverb-drenched and processed guitar."[4] Latham has described the sound as "not a total break from the world of Classical Curves, but rather an inversion," explaining that "Classical Curves is the surface, Dream a Garden is the exhaustion, frustration, anger, and dizziness underneath.[6] Describing the development of Latham's sound for Clash Music, Will Salmon wrote that "this is still angular, defiantly awkward music, but the diamond-hard production has been replaced with something woozier and stranger. The synths have warped and melted, the beats – when they're there at all – are muffled and subdued."[7] Regarding his decision to sing, Latham stated, “I pushed up against the point where I had to sing. You have to say it and be obvious about it sometimes."[4]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.3/10[8]
Metacritic78/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[10]
Clash7/10[7]
Dummy Mag8/10[11]
The Guardian[12]
The Observer[13]
Pitchfork6.5/10[14]
Resident Advisor3.2/5[15]
Tiny Mix Tapes[16]
Uncut8/10[17]

Dream a Garden received generally positive reviews from critics. The Guardian described the album as "strange and disorientating, idiosyncratic and frequently astonishing, a modern-day psychedelia that owes almost nothing to that genre’s hackneyed conventions and never forgets to temper the sublimity with darkness".[12] Writing for Clash Music, Will Salmon described the album as "optimistic, romantic and frequently lovely record – a startling and deliberate contrast to its predecessor," and wrote that "the garden in this dream is a place of respite from the frightening truths of our increasingly dystopian, poverty-stricken reality."[7] Despite a relatively positive review, The Wire opined that "Dream a Garden only starts to sound radical when it breaks the bounds of its songforms and an eerie melancholy steals in."[9] The Observer described the album as "a slow, fragmentary work taking cues from drone and post-punk, with Latham’s vocals half-buried in layers of sound," writing that it "aims to create friction, to disrupt the party, even if it doesn’t force its message down your throat."[18]

Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Jam City.

No.TitleLength
1."The Garden Thrives"2:34
2."A Walk Down Chapel"5:33
3."Unhappy"3:37
4."Good Lads, Bad Lads"2:32
5."Today"4:07
6."Damage"4:00
7."Crisis"4:15
8."Black Friday"4:55
9."Proud"5:00

Personnel[edit]

Adapted from Discogs.[19]

  • Jam City – performance, production, mixing
  • Alex Sushon – mixing
  • Liam Howe – engineer

References[edit]

  1. ^ Wilson, Sophie (25 March 2015). "Weekly Listening: Earl Sweatshirt, Diana Tribute, Jam City and more". Wireless. Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  2. ^ Saxelby, Ruth. "Jam City Is Fighting The System With Love". The Fader. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  3. ^ Ravens, Chal. "Darkest dreaming: Jam City dismantles his world". Fact (UK magazine). The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d Macpherson, Alex (19 March 2015). "Jam City's songs of resistance are a reaction to 'living under capitalism', says Jack Latham". The National. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  5. ^ Eede, Christian. "Positive Force: An Interview With Jam City". The Quietus. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  6. ^ Lindsay, Cam. "We Talked to Jam City About His New Protest Record, the Angry But Still Hopeful 'Dream a Garden'". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  7. ^ a b c Salmon, Will (27 March 2015). "Jam City - Dream A Garden". Clash Magazine.
  8. ^ "Dream a Garden by Jam City (reviews)". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Dream a Garden by Jam City Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  10. ^ Kellman, Andy. Review of Dream a Garden at AllMusic. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  11. ^ Dummy Mag
  12. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis. "Jam City: Dream a Garden review – modern psychedelia with a dark edge". Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  13. ^ Fox, Killian (22 March 2015). "Jam City: Dream a Garden review – a departure from Jack Latham's glossy debut". Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  14. ^ Pitchfork Media
  15. ^ Resident Advisor
  16. ^ Tiny Mix Tapes
  17. ^ Uncut
  18. ^ The Observer
  19. ^ Discogs
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