When you leave Rebecca Peake for even a few days, there comes this insatiable itch to share every single one of your new found discoveries. The first song on this soon-to-be massive post is 'Plax', and electronic giant of a track. A low, buzzing hum leads into fantastic electro-bagpipe sounds, which force a smile from even the most tightly pursed lips. Space anomalies litter the landscape and spectacular synths wash over the golden sonic shore. Slowly but surely however, you realise that this magnificent creation is long gone. Your memory deceived you, and as you try to fight reality, the world splits under your feet. Returning back to the present, things sound so much more peaceful. A voice sings, and you decide, after the five minutes, that this was something truly, truly beautiful.
'Falling Apart' follows as something completely different. From the electronic epiphany of 'Plax', we're dealt a new hand of heavy riffs and doom-laden harmonies. A traditional crushing, throbbing start is met surprisingly by higher, somewhat soothing vocals. More energetic guitar work carries the singing to an epic, blockbuster like transcendence, and after being suitably pumped and shouting 'awesome' multiple times, you're hit by the abrupt, sudden ending. As the final cymbal fades into silence, you sit back in sheer... awe.
Some dark river weaves its quiet, lifeless path through the darkness of your dream. As it runs past your feet, a ripple appears. It grows. Wet hair emerges, covering a shivering, pale face. A subtle, demonic grin snarls as the nightmare of growing old envelopes your senses. The fear of all people. The fear of dependence. The fear of losing all hope, and the fear of being "all wrung out". 'Dead to Me' lures you someplace you never want to go. It takes the breath from your lungs and the warmth from your skin, and I think I love it.
'I'm a Shooting Star' is the next song on my list, and it comes as a welcome break from the intensity of the past three tracks. A simple rock number, it's lathered in space echo and old-time reverb, and the lyricism is carried by the vulnerable, yearning vocals. When the guitars kick in at two minutes especially, the whole thing just clicks. Despite the dark underlying tension, these three minutes are wonderfully uplifting. I've nothing else to say!
I've still got eight tracks that I missed, but 'Composure' will have to be the last for tonight. 'Dreampop' is the label the song's been given, but I fear it is so, so much more than that. Something about it is vast. Like all the stars, exploding at once and filling the sky with unadulterated beauty. The glistening, effortless panning fills the room as you listen. The waves flow around, and the beats carry them like a boundless cosmic breeze. I am, to this day, after all the different styles and sounds I've come across from Rebecca Peake, in awe of her imagination. She manages the pull it out of the hat every time, and I respect her immensely for it. I just hope that for as long as possible, she keeps recording music!
