The Universe Inside

Description

When you think of the Dream Syndicate, it isn’t just the savagery with which singer/guitarist Steve Wynn, drummer Dennis Duck, bassist Mark Walton and guitarist Jason Victor perform—it’s also Wynn’s carefully crafted songwriting that immediately comes to mind. By now, every rock critic has predetermined who they think Wynn will remind them of and how they feel about that style of songs. This time, no! Which brings us to The Universe Inside. Every article or review ever written will claim "this is new and different"—and well, it is! Just look at the song lengths: 20:27, 7:36, 8:56, 9:55, and 10:53. Okay, sure—the Syndicate have occasionally put a long song on vinyl, "John Coltrane Stereo Blues" was 9 minutes… For the first time, every song is the result of collective songwriting. What comes through is Dennis Duck’s knowledge of the European avant-garde, Jason Victor’s passion for 70s prog, Mark Walton’s experience in Southern music collectives, and Wynn’s love for vintage electric jazz. The dazzling display of album artwork alone should give you an idea of the changes. But don’t just take our word for it.