Pale Angels - Daydreaming Blues

‘Recorded live over two days’, ‘blown out, grunge-fuelled, garage punk’ and ‘frantic live set … captures all aspects of that’ & not forgetting ‘hypnotic, dreamy quality with depressing themes throughout’ – these are the kinds of supporting statements attached to an album that raise the anticipation levels prior to that first play & the business of forming an opinion on the tunes therein. Sometimes of course they’re untrue, or at least bear no relation to your own interpretation of any or all of them. Thankfully with Daydreaming Blues though all of the above are the whole truth & nothing but.

The whole album’s well paced, well balanced between anger and angst and generally flies the flag for the classier end of the ‘90s indie rock spectrum. If the Pixies hadn’t got their act together a couple of months ago with Head Carrier they’d have been well advised to ring up Pale Angels for some tips.

It seems like less & less often these days that I come across an album I immediately find interesting & which maintains that interest to the end and then on into repeated plays. Less often again do I envision being of a mind to do the same again twelve months or more in the future. Daydreaming Blues though felt both comfortably familiar and excitingly new right from the off and you get the feeling that it will never cease to do so.

It’s not all rip-roaring, full-on stuff though. Midway through the dozen tracks ‘Funeral’ pops up and slows things down for seven and a half minutes, by way of a contemplative and downbeat breathing space. The album loses none of its power through that. If you want a soundtrack for raging against the ever shortening days at this time of year (& then celebrating their lengthening once again) then Daydreaming Blues has exactly what you’re looking for. 

Daydreaming Blues is available from amazon.