Living Dream - Absolute Devotion

Indianapolis five-piece Living Dream make their vinyl debut with a four song collection of the kind of astutely rendered psychedelic jangle we've recently mostly been associating with The Bay Area and its associated constellations of bands & labels. Like with, say, The Smashing Times, being part-way removed from the epicentre of *that particular action* proves useful, tuning into something a little less sunshine and a touch more inner-gazing and strung-out. Indianapolis, of course, has its own self-contained vibrant underground, of which a number of the players in Living Dream appear to have various kinds of involvement (check out the brattish eggpunk blast of MUDSLUT as evidence of their range of interests), and the regional difference does express itself in subtle ways. If, say, April Magazine are dreamy and romantic, and Children Maybe Later whimsical, then Living Dream are slightly more hypnotic and urgent, especially so on the final two tracks here, which play around the same Kraut-y influences as Deerhunter and Brian Jonestown Massacre might have once explored and cast them amongst a gloomily enticing lo-fi glaze and mordant vocal. Brilliantly seductive first impressions, and if you're willing to venture to YouTube you'll find a live clip that suggests there's plenty more in the tank for this crew. Consider my interest piqued.
 
FFO: The Smashing Times, April Magazine, TV-P, Children Maybe Later, Deerhunter