Gengahr – A dream outside
I knew very little about the London four piece indie band
until I look the time to listen to their debut album ‘A dream outside’ after
seeing an overwhelmingly positive reaction to it on twitter. From the first
track ‘dizzy ghosts’ I was taken, the
dream pop/psychedelic feel was something very refreshing to hear and powerfully
angelic vocals confidentially dictate each track. Something which I found
impressive as having a mellow voice like this could easily have lead to it become
within the gently scathing riff.
Up next is their biggest hit to date, ‘she’s a witch’ a
lyrically repetitive affair with 4 chorus’ and just 2 verses but this cleverly
gives it the feel of a true sing a long anthem. This is thanks to the clever
likers overlaying the delicious guitar loops resulting in a euphoric pop song.
Gengahr seem to show a darker side with ‘where I lie’ another song
with a beautifully catchy chorus ‘the monster I see, grew deep inside of me’
with a fractious riff in the background juxtaposes the dreamy nature of the
vocals brilliantly.
For me ‘embers’ is by far the best song on this staggering
debut album, a slow burner where each element comes together to provide a
strong finish. The abrupt start of gentle vocals and a steady drum beat with
the guitar having adopted a more psych feel which could have been lifted from
any tame impala song ever. They all complement each other superbly and manage
to each take centre stage at once. The bridge sets up for an emphatic final
chorus to finish in which the guitar spirals around the vocals before letting
the bass line see out the song in style as the track breaks down.
A dream outside is debut album of the year for me narrowly
beating slaves punk record ‘are you satisfied?’ but this musical and lyrical
masterpiece edges it. Still in their prime Gengahr could easily go one of two
ways, push on and establish themselves or be yet another forgotten indie band.
I just hope it’s the former rather than the latter.
My rating: 8/10
By Joe Daniel
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