Dreams Come True (CANT album)

Last updated
Dreams Come True
DreamscometrueCANt.jpg
Studio album by
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]

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]

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]

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]

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grizzly Bear (band)</span> American rock band

Grizzly Bear was an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. For most of its tenure, the band has consisted of Edward Droste, Daniel Rossen, Chris Taylor, and Christopher Bear. The band employed both traditional and electronic instruments, and their sound has been categorized as chamber pop, psychedelic folk, and art rock. The band was known for their use of vocal harmony, with all four members contributing vocals and lead vocals alternating between Rossen and Droste.

<i>Yellow House</i> (album) 2006 studio album by Grizzly Bear

Yellow House is the second studio album by American rock band Grizzly Bear, released on September 5, 2006, by Warp Records. Produced by bass guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Chris Taylor, the album's title refers to vocalist Ed Droste's mother's house where the majority of recording took place.

<i>Horn of Plenty</i> (Grizzly Bear album) 2004 studio album by Grizzly Bear

Horn of Plenty is the debut studio album by American rock band Grizzly Bear, released on November 9, 2004, by Kanine Records. Primarily a solo album by founding member Edward Droste, the album also features contributions from future drummer Christopher Bear. In 2006, the band released an EP, Sorry for the Delay, featuring tracks recorded during the same time period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beach House</span> American indie rock duo

Beach House is an American indie band formed in Baltimore in 2004 by current members Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. Their work is characterized by a hypnotic dream pop style.

<i>Young Prayer</i> 2004 studio album by Panda Bear

Young Prayer is the second solo album by American experimental pop musician Panda Bear, released on September 28, 2004. It follows his debut solo album Panda Bear (1999). It is his first since co-founding Animal Collective.

<i>Person Pitch</i> 2007 studio album by Panda Bear

Person Pitch is the third solo album by American recording artist Noah Lennox under his alias Panda Bear, released on March 20, 2007 by Paw Tracks. Departing stylistically from his prior work as both a member of Animal Collective and a solo artist, the album was recorded using the Boss SP-303 sampler, with instrumentation largely composed of manipulated samples and loops, accompanied by Lennox's layered vocals. He described it as a collection of "super dubby and old sounding" songs inspired by his then-recent marriage, fatherhood, and move to Portugal.

Christopher Robert Bear is a drummer and multi-instrumentalist member of the Brooklyn-based indie-rock group Grizzly Bear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear musician)</span> American singer-songwriter

Christopher 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.

<i>In Ear Park</i> 2008 album by the Department of Eagles

In Ear Park is the second album by Department of Eagles. It was released by 4AD on October 7, 2008. The inspiration for the album is noted to come from Daniel Rossen's childhood experiences, most notably memories of those related to his father. The album is dedicated to his father, who died in 2007. In an interview for a 4AD DUMBO Session, Rossen reflected on the inspiration for the title of the album, quoting, "It was a nickname for a park that I used to go to with my dad, when I was a kid, and there was an interactive statue that looked like a giant ear...so we called it In Ear Park".

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

Veckatimest is the third studio album by the American rock band Grizzly Bear, released on May 26, 2009, by 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">While You Wait for the Others</span> 2009 single by Grizzly Bear

"While You Wait for the Others" is a song by Brooklyn-based indie rock band Grizzly Bear, and the second single from the band's third studio album, Veckatimest. The song was released as a single on August 31, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Weeks (Grizzly Bear song)</span> 2009 single by Grizzly Bear

"Two Weeks" is a song by the American indie rock band Grizzly Bear, and the first single from the band's third studio album, Veckatimest. Featuring backing vocals from Victoria Legrand, singer and organist for the dream pop duo Beach House, it was released as a single on June 1, 2009. The song's debut live performance was on the Late Show with David Letterman in July 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rostam Batmanglij</span> American musician (born 1983)

Rostam Batmanglij, known mononymously as Rostam, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whose first three albums he produced. He has been described by Stereogum as one of the greatest pop and indie-rock producers of his generation. Rostam also works as a solo artist and is a member of electro-soul group Discovery. He produced his first number-one album, Vampire Weekend's Contra, when he was 27 years old.

<i>Tomboy</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Panda Bear

Tomboy is the fourth solo album by American musician Panda Bear, released on April 4, 2011, initially as an online stream and later physically. It was mixed by UK musician Sonic Boom. In contrast to the sample-based composition of the previous Panda Bear album Person Pitch (2007), the recording of Tomboy features a stripped-down sound built around guitar processed through Korg M3-M workstation modules.

<i>Broken Dreams Club</i> 2010 EP by Girls

Broken Dreams Club is an EP and the second release by American indie rock band Girls, released on November 22, 2010 on True Panther Sounds.

<i>Shields</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Grizzly Bear

Shields is the fourth studio album by American rock band Grizzly Bear, released on September 18, 2012, by Warp Records. Written and recorded following a six-month hiatus from band activities, the album was produced by bassist and multi-instrumentalist Chris Taylor. Preceded by the singles, "Sleeping Ute" and "Yet Again", an expanded version of Shields, entitled Shields Expanded, was released on November 12, 2013, featuring additional tracks recorded during the sessions, demo recordings and remixes. The eight additional tracks were issued as a separate mini-album, entitled Shields: B-Sides.

<i>True</i> (EP) 2012 EP by Solange

True is the first extended play (EP) by American singer and songwriter Solange, first released on November 27, 2012 digitally through Terrible Records. Following the release of her second studio album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams (2008), Solange announced that she had parted ways with Interscope Geffen A&M after releasing just one album on the label, and further revealed that she had chosen to go an independent route, eventually signing with Terrible Records. In 2009, Solange began the recording of a studio album, during which she suffered a "breakdown" due to the amount of time and emotion she was putting into the recording process.

<i>Teeth Dreams</i> 2014 studio album by the Hold Steady

Teeth Dreams is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band the Hold Steady, released March 25, 2014, on Washington Square/Razor & Tie. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz, the album is the first to feature guitarist Steve Selvidge, who joined the band in 2010 to tour in support of the band's previous album, Heaven Is Whenever (2010).

<i>In a Dream</i> (EP) 2020 EP by Troye Sivan

In a Dream is the fifth EP by Australian singer Troye Sivan, released on 21 August 2020 through EMI Music Australia and Capitol Records. It follows the release of his second studio album Bloom (2018), and features the singles "Take Yourself Home", "Easy", and "Rager Teenager!".

Terrible is a Los Angeles-based record label and artist management company founded by Chris Taylor and Ethan Silverman in 2009. Originally based in Brooklyn, New York, the label operated as a joint venture imprint of XL Recordings and Beggars Group respectively. It was distributed by Universal Music Group. After a short stint as a imprint with Interscope, Terrible Records is now distributed independently via Stem Distribution. Over the past 4 years Ethan Silverman's focus shifted toward management. His current management roster includes Claud, Sir Chloe, Petey, Exum, The Slaps, Mila Degray, Kali, Liam Benzvi and more.

References

  1. Bevon, David (8 September 2011). "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". Metacritic . 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. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  6. 1 2 Ashburst, Hari. "CANT: Dreams Come True". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.