Dream Spectrum

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Buffalo in New York State might be placed geographically at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting visitors with only a short time to spend between travelling the North Eastern states of the Union. Placed intriguingly at the head of the mighty Niagara River and with so much going for it in terms of the historic and the modern, it somehow arguably loses out between New York and people heading just a little further north to the wild abandonment of Niagara Falls.

The gateway stop for the Greyhound traveller as they explore the land of opportunity is one that many will not see beyond the bus station and its typical assortment of the weary, the odd pan handler and the smell in the air of the world famous wings. Yet like many other cities along that ridge that divides Canada and America that have been neglected over the years, first by Government and then by the traveller, the vision is still alive, it is the one sense of purity that beguiles, that the Lost and Found can be seen side by side in hope and that music, the art of the optimist and the soul bearing can bring people together.

For Dream Spectrum hope is the expectation, it is what their city perhaps represents as the traveller gets to the great river and lakes; the so called sophistication of New York and Boston far behind them, this is where the steel and the coke manufactured a living, jobs in desperate times, the place where production helped win a war and in which the Nickel is precious. Hope is always there in the eyes of the Lost and Found; you just have to look for it.

For a great Rock band that uses melody with great sympathy, that takes the senses along a road once inhabited by the sound of heavy machinery and the solitude afforded the end of the road stop, the use of only the instrumental is more than alluring, it speaks volumes on how music can deliver without the need for the lyrics to influence the direction of the thoughts of the listener. To implant your own narrative inside the well oiled machine is one of great faith and one that Sam Osmond, Todd Glosner, Alexander Braun and Jake Schoenle offer without impunity but with confident conviction.

In tracks such as Rip Off, Hit It, Waves and Different From The Same, the sense of early Floyd appears, not in the psychedelic fissure but one born form beautiful experimentation; it is perhaps fitting that such an instrumental album would appear in the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s debut album.

Buffalo may be a town that loses out due to its close proximity to the admired Niagara Falls, a short bus drive away in American terms but, like Liverpool, it is a city that has seen the best and worst of times, of economic freedom and of despair in the eyes of some, yet in the Lost and Found there is hope and to dream it in any spectrum is a powerful ally to have.

Ian D. Hall - Ian D. Hall

One of the most fun things about writing this feature every week is that sometimes, I do not know from week to week what I will be reviewing. Part of the fun is never knowing what I will come across. Today's entry could be rock, next week's entry could be thrash metal or electronica. Whatever I find that piques my interest, I will write about it. Sometimes, as is the case with this week's band, I came across them by way of a random ad on my Facebook feed. I find a lot of bands this way, but I haven't written about too many of them here. Over these past few months, however, I cannot recall if I have ever come across an instrumental rock band. (Feel free to correct me in the comments section if I have.)

Hailing from Buffalo, NY, Dream Spectrum got their start in 2013, and have been making a name for themselves on the local scene. Earning the respect of Goo Goo Dolls' Robby Takac (a local boy done good, to say the least), and opening for bands such as Molly Hatchet and Jackyl, Dream Spectrum's progressive-infused, lightning-rapid riffs and jazzy rhythms are a melodic blending of musical genres packing a heavy punch.

In the video for their song “Even So”, Dream Spectrum plays upon the old saying, “looks can be deceiving”. The band rocks out in a wintry forested area, all of them dressed up in crisp white shirts, ties, and hats. The upbeat rock sound gets your toes tapping, but before you can write them off as another typical group of hipsters, the music floats off into harmonic, art-rock goodness with plenty of progressive melody and a pinch of power metal riffing. If you enjoy the clean, soaring harmonies of Joe Satriani, then Dream Spectrum is a band you should check out.

For more information on Dream Spectrum, visit the band's official website. - Christiana Skye

I admit that in these (now) twice-a-week video reviews, there have been a handful of bands whose music I keep returning to time and time again. Those of you who visit here often probably know already who those bands are, but for those of you who are new here, there are a few bands that have been featured here more than once.

This week, I review once again a video from Buffalo-based progressive instrumental quartet Dream Spectrum, who are making their third appearance here in 8 months. What can I say? The music is good, and their videos are fun to watch, if only to witness the skill and musicianship that they possess. And while I do love progressive rock and metal music, Dream Spectrum is a bit outside of the typical fare that I review here regularly, yet not so far out of left field for it to be a surprise that I would listen to their music.

Up to this point, the Dream Spectrum videos I have reviewed have been of the “performance” type: a standard music video where the band plays in a concert setting or shown rocking out on their instruments. While performance videos are fun to watch, they don't leave much in the way of reviewing. After all, how many times can you describe a band jamming away on their guitars and drums, before it all sounds the same? In that respect, performance videos tend to offer a bit more of a challenge for me to review, because they are basic and straightforward, not leaving much to interpretation.

It is for this reason that I prefer to review “conceptual” videos: music videos that tell a tale, that are more like mini-movies and less like concert footage. I am also partial to conceptual videos for other reasons stated here before, but one of the main reasons I started this feature was to have fun using my imagination trying to interpret the story within, or to find hidden symbolism that would shed light on the subject and offer greater meaning to the overall plot. Or sometimes, it was just fun to compare the band's images of their own work to my personal visions when I listened to the music.

So even though I had reviewed Dream Spectrum twice already since February, when I saw their latest video was conceptual, I just had to review it. There is something about their music that is quirky and lively, bubbling just beneath the musical virtuosity; so I wondered if some of that would transition to their music videos.

The subject matter for the “Lost and Found” video is pretty self-explanatory: the story begins with a girl sitting at a table and looking at her phone. The camera focuses on a beaded bracelet that she wears, which soon becomes the centerpiece of the plot. She makes brief eye contact with a gentleman sitting across the way from her, then gets up to leave. At that point, the man notices that the bracelet has been left behind. As we never see her take it off or come loose from her wrist, it is not exactly clear whether she carelessly forgot the bracelet, or purposely left it there for the man to find; this omitted detail is obviously a mystery, as soon we follow the man as he takes the bracelet and attempts to track down the girl, in a series of paths almost crossing but not meeting, as he attempts to find this woman and return the lost bracelet to its owner. Either he is a very good Samaritan, or he really likes this lady—another detail that is left open to the viewer's interpretation. For a moment, we watch the band break into a Satriani-flavored jam, and we are left to wonder at this couple's fate. We feel the man's frustration as he rounds street corners just seconds after she has gone, and feel sorry for him as he sits on some steps, looking heartbroken. Will he find the woman? Will he think of another way to seek out the bracelet's owner? I can't give away too many spoilers, right...?

For more information on Dream Spectrum, visit their official website. - Christiana Skye