The Answer Is In The Beat

Fred Thomas: Those Days Are Dust, Dream Erosion Pt. II LP (Dagoretti Records, 2022)

July 11, 2022 at 6:12 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Two years ago, Fred Thomas released Dream Erosion, a tremendous synth-based instrumental LP which ended up being a perfect soundtrack for a shut-in summer when every day seemed to melt together and there was no telling when anything would be back to normal. This is that record’s sequel, and while live performances and traveling have returned, so much else is still uncertain. This is a record of shaky, unsteady dreams which call out from some place of refuge, opting not to explain or ask questions but interpret life in recent times. Opening with the stormy, anxious “January Redux”, the album switches closer to the sound of Hydropark with “Unfit”, an indie rock instrumental with dub echoes dripping from colorful synth pulsations and a ragged rhythm. “Boat Cloak” is a bit darker and heavier, and has some intense and jarring sound design while still sounding pretty lo-fi. “Crisis Days cont.” also boils up a bit and works some smothered feedback noise into its festering drone. On the other side of the record, “Composition of the Whale” emerges from waves of hiss, with distorted yet tranquil melodies cloaking the freewheeling drums, which end up being ground into dust and eroded, just like the album’s title. “Post-Flood Edits” has an arpeggio synth melody blearing from the sunset, eventually showering it with effects so that it feels like your doubts and concerns are being amplified so much that they overwhelm you. “Light Bough” starts out as a tape-smudged piano melody before it snaps into focus, then “Tears of Joy” is a gentle, glimmering, slightly glitchy confection that floats like a sweet dream.