dreamlin seems to have been getting a lot of attention lately (and for a while now) for their track the light of the night and for good reason: it’s an excellent ambient creation. since its original release, it’s been remixed several times and has been followed up with a few other very well put together tracks.

the light of the night is simply a gorgeous song, with nice crisp trip-hop like drums, smoothly looped acoustic guitar, offbeat background sounds, and scattered samples. it opens well with some wavery guitar and effects and quickly slides into the main guitar line that carries most of the song. soon, a very well done, slightly echoed bassline joins the mix, and the song continues until about 0:50 when the drums and bass fall away leaving a pleasant stretch of ambience. from there, the song continues in much the same manner, alternating between its two previously mentioned states: with and without the drums and bass. finally, everything gradually falls away to leave only the wavering guitar that began the song. the track sounds great, with nice bright, clean sounds and interesting effects throughout, and i wouldn’t hesitate to send it straight to the top tracks list if there was only a little more variation worked in. unfortunately, though it never becomes a problem, the listener has heard virtually all of what the five and a half minute song has to offer in the first minute and a half. the drums, though they are very well put together, could especially use some alteration, whether by means of interesting fills, breaks or simply a few slightly modified loops. all in all the light of the night is a great song, but a bit oversimplified in its structure and sound for my tastes. very smooth, and very relaxing.

dreamlin has created a worthy follow-up in anin planetari and has even addressed some of the afore-mentioned issues i mention by employing a considerably more progressive song structure. the basic elements are the same: softly wavering guitar, smooth bass, nice crisp drum work, and lots of effects. the track opens with simple drums and effects but very soon makes a promising shift to an interesting lone guitar sample that sounds like its being played on an old record which is soon joined by some odd crunchy drums and scattered synth blips. by the end of the first minute, the original drums, modified guitar, and another set of very smooth bass pads replace the other elements. before that has any chance to sink into repetition, an interesting stretch of turntable work and clever sample mutilation begins, signaling the return of the crunchy drums of before. this is a very well put together stretch which easily holds the listener’s interest until everything falls away at 2:15 to begin a new buildup starting from the original guitar and interesting background pads which might once have been a vocal of some kind. all the old elements make a gradual return and carry the song to a strong finish and fadeout. though nothing new is introduced in the final minutes, there is certainly enough to hold the listeners interest. though as a whole, the general mix isn’t quite as strong as that of the light of the night, anin planetari’s additional progression makes it just as worthwhile of a listening experience. another fine song, though i think it could benefit from some sort of melodic theme to pull it together in the end, and perhaps slightly sharper sounds in some parts.

i don’t say this very often, but i truly think dreamlin will prove to be a band to watch in the coming months. having already heard two very good tracks from them, i for one am curious as to where they will go from here. if they simply continue to polish their sound and incorporate new elements into their music as they have been, they could quickly become one of the better bands around on mp3.com.

reviewed by nate on 2000–12–19

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