Weird Dreams - Choreography

From their post punk roots you’d be hard pressed to find many that could of predicted Weird Dreams’ musical trajectory. Yet the band has learned that the power of a glorious melody can dwarf all other tools in ones armoury.

From previous releases we’ve already come across the likes of up tempo ‘Faceless’, as well as the swooning ‘Holding Nails’ & ‘Hurt So Bad‘. So firstly, the level of song writing dexterity should be apparent to all who tracked the London four piece’s progression from the back end of 2010.

And at its best ‘Choreography’ is tailor made alternative pop of the highest degree, with enough ear friendly, sing-a-long melodies to entice even the ‘older’ generation. Much like the band, that said generation is one that no doubt found 60’s icons such as Syl Johnson, Al Green (for which early track ‘Joan’ sampled Green’s ‘How Can You Mend A Broken Heart’) and The Tammys a musical hi place.

The strategically placed breakdowns, expansively drawn guitar chorus’ and glittering pop craftsmanship sees Doran Edwards & co fall into their own unique place on today’s musical spectrum. Somewhere along a vague line where vintage meets contemporary sounds just about right.

As knit picking goes - and it is a minuscule point we must stress - the only slight imperfection with the LP can be found on the newly recorded ‘Summer Black’. Perhaps to fit in with the records overall feel, this version fails to do it real justice, losing the early demos pace and directness.

That said, there are enough high points to overlook the last tiny glitch all together. Tracks like sugar coated ‘Velvet Morning’ and the outro of the spine tingling ‘Suburban Coated Creatures’ would no doubt impress layering pioneers like Johnny Marr and Stephen Street.

Maybe singling out a few specific tracks is too much of an easy evaluation, as ‘Choreography’ as a whole feels precisely balanced and entirely cohesive. Ultimately, though, this is a debut that evokes a keen sense of fulfilment from a band who find themselves exactly where they want to be.