Dreams Come True (CANT album)

Last updated
Dreams Come True
DreamscometrueCANt.jpg
Studio album by
CANT
ReleasedSeptember 13, 2011
RecordedA bedroom at Glenn Tonche; Terrible Studios
Genre Experimental rock, art rock, electronica
Label Terrible Records (US)
Warp (International)
Producer Chris Taylor

Dreams Come True is the debut studio album by American experimental rock project CANT, released on September 13, 2011 on Terrible Records and Warp. Recorded and produced by Grizzly Bear bass guitarist Chris Taylor, the album is primarily a solo album with contributions from Twin Shadow's George Lewis Jr. [1]

Experimental rock is a subgenre of rock music which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with some of the genre's distinguishing characteristics being improvisational performances, avant-garde influences, odd instrumentation, opaque lyrics, unorthodox structures and rhythms, and an underlying rejection of commercial aspirations.

Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear musician) multi-instrumentalist and producer

Christopher "Chris" Taylor is an American multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is best known as the bass guitarist, backing vocalist and producer of the Brooklyn-based indie rock band Grizzly Bear, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. Taylor also records solo material under the moniker CANT, releasing his debut album, Dreams Come True, in 2011.

Grizzly Bear (band) American band

Grizzly Bear is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. The band consists of Edward Droste, Daniel Rossen, Chris Taylor, and Christopher Bear. The band employs traditional and electronic instruments. Their sound has been categorized as psychedelic pop, folk rock, and experimental, and is dominated by the use of vocal harmonies.

Contents

Regarding the decision to record a solo album, Taylor noted, "Between producing records for other bands and writing records with my band, I think I started to feel this need to pursue something that was just something that I was interested in, that I didn’t have to discuss with other people. I just didn’t want to deal with compromising." [2]

Background and recording

After extensive touring in support of Grizzly Bear's third studio album, Veckatimest (2009), the band undertook a hiatus from band-related activities. During this time, bassist and producer Chris Taylor began working on solo material, stating, "I felt like doing something where I could pursue my own angle on things. [Dreams Come True]'s a fairly different-sounding record from Grizzly Bear." [2]

<i>Veckatimest</i> 2009 studio album by Grizzly Bear

Veckatimest is the third studio album by the American indie rock band Grizzly Bear, released on May 26, 2009, on Warp Records. The album is named after Veckatimest Island, a small island in Dukes County, Massachusetts. Produced by bassist and multi-instrumentalist Chris Taylor, the album entered the US Billboard 200 at #8, selling 33,000 copies in its first week of release. By September 2012, the album had sold around 220,000 copies in the US. In 2010. It was awarded a gold certification from the Independent Music Companies Association which indicated sales of at least 100,000 copies throughout Europe.

During the writing and recording of Dreams Come True, Taylor collaborated with Twin Shadow's George Lewis Jr., with Taylor noting, "I had absolutely no idea what the record would end up sounding like. [...] I just kind of threw myself into this thing: I wrote three-quarters of the record in a week-and-a-half with George Twin Shadow." [2] Regarding his contributions, Taylor stated, "I love the way George makes his things. His take on pop music is really impressive, really 'up my alley'. I just really enjoy how he approaches music, and it seemed like it was really in line with what kind of music I was into at the time, and what I was hoping to do myself." [2]

Twin Shadow American musician

George Lewis Jr., better known by his stage name Twin Shadow, is a Dominican-American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor based out of Los Angeles, California. He has written a novel, scripted TV series and released four albums: Forget (2010), Confess (2012), Eclipse (2015), and Caer (2018).

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms "popular music" and "pop music" are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many diverse styles. "Pop" and "rock" were roughly synonymous terms until the late 1960s, when they became increasingly differentiated from each other.

The resulting recordings differed from Taylor's work with Grizzly Bear, with Taylor noting, "It's just such different music. Which is what I wanted to do, of course, but it still shocked me when I came out with it. I felt very new to me. I didn't know how to make sense of it, at first. It was challenging. But I like a good challenge." [2]

Writing and composition

Regarding the album's lyrical content, Chris Taylor noted, "I just wanted to do something different: exploring different types of making music, different ways of writing lyrics. With each song I decided I would try and tell a specific story. I really like lyricist who can tell stories: Neil Young, Otis Redding, The-Dream. [...] I was dealing with some tough stuff. So, the fact that it came out sounding on the dark and dissonant wasn't something that was surprising to me; but I wasn't trying to make a dark record as much as I was trying to make something that felt like a release." [2]

Neil Young Canadian singer-songwriter

Neil Percival Young is a Canadian singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in the 1960s, he moved to Los Angeles, where he formed Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and others. Young had released two solo albums and three as a member of Buffalo Springfield by the time he joined Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1969. From his early solo albums and those with his backing band Crazy Horse, Young has recorded a steady stream of studio and live albums, sometimes warring with his recording company along the way.

Otis Redding American singer, songwriter and record producer

Otis Ray Redding Jr. was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, and talent scout. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. Redding's style of singing gained inspiration from the gospel music that preceded the genre. His singing style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s.

The-Dream American singer, songwriter and record producer from Georgia

Terius Youngdell Nash, better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American record producer, songwriter and singer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, "Ride" (2010) for Ciara, "Umbrella" (2007) for Rihanna, "Single Ladies " (2008) and "Partition" (2013) for Beyoncé, "Touch My Body" (2008) for Mariah Carey and "Baby" (2010) for Justin Bieber. As a solo recording artist, he released five studio albums between 2007 and 2013: Love Hate (2007), Love vs. Money (2009), Love King (2010), Terius Nash: 1977 (2012) and IV Play (2013). His most recent album release was the 2018 triple album Ménage à Trois: Sextape Vol. 1, 2, 3.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 67/100 [3]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Drowned in Sound (7/10) [5]
Pitchfork (6.1) [6]

Allmusic's Gregory Heaney gave the album a positive review, stating, "What’s really special here is that Taylor is always able to keep things from getting abrasive, allowing the album to swirl around listeners without pushing them away. This focus on approachability over impenetrability makes Dreams Come True not only a welcoming debut, but a fantastic entry point into the more experimental side of electronic music." [4] Drowned in Sound issued the album with a positive review, stating, "At its heart CANT feels more like a bedroom pop project, trading grandiosity for the introverted, and the collective for the personal. Having heard Taylor’s fingerprints over a dozen fine records, it’s great to finally hear one that he can call his own." [5]

Pitchfork Media gave the album a mixed review, stating, "There's a nagging feeling that the aesthetic compositions here are like bubbles - they float by with solid-looking, effervescent charm, but burst upon closer inspection." However, they praised the album's final two tracks, noting "The record is most gripping at its last breath: The end of "Rises Silent" and "Bericht" find Taylor alone with a piano, shorn of the stylistic trickery. The result is disarmingly tender, adding a few heartfelt minutes of warmth and personal connection, something lacking in the rest of Dreams' gloss." [6]

Track listing

  1. "Too Late, Too Far"
  2. "Believe"
  3. "The Edge"
  4. "BANG"
  5. "(brokencollar)"
  6. "She Found a Way Out"
  7. "Answer"
  8. "Dreams Come True"
  9. "Rises Silent"
  10. "Bericht"

Personnel

CANT

Additional musicians

Recording personnel

Artwork

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References

  1. ↑ Bevon, David. "Listen to Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor's Solo Debut Album as CANT Now". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Carrew, Andrew. "CANT Interview - with Christopher Taylor of Grizzly Bear". altmusic.about.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  3. ↑ "Dreams Come True by CANT" . Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 Heaney, Gregory. "Dreams Come True - CANT". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  5. 1 2 Ellison, Kyle. "CANT - Dreams Come True". drownedinsound.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  6. 1 2 Ashburst, Hari. "CANT: Dreams Come True". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
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