the lucid dream: s/t

UK psych band The Lucid Dream's second album follows two hugely successful singles taken from the full-length, "Moonstruck" and "Unchained," both released in 2014. Between them, the singles gained support from BBC Radio 1 and 2 plus major support from BBC 6 Music (Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley (two sessions), Steve Lamacq, 6 Music Recommends, Tom Robinson, and Gideon Coe). "Moonstruck" earned the title of the fastest sell-out in Too Pure Singles Club history, selling out a month in advance of release, with both singles coinciding with sold-out UK dates. After forming in Carlisle, Cumbria, England, in 2008, the band delivered a string of sold-out 7"s, an EP, and their debut album, Songs of Lies and Deceit, between 2010 and 2013. These releases coincided with support slots and tours with Death in Vegas, Clinic, Spectrum, A Place to Bury Strangers, The Magic Band, The Aliens, and Dead Skeletons, to name a few. As of this album's release, The Lucid Dream have completed four European tours and appeared at festivals such as The Big Chill and Kendal Calling; they're also the only act to be asked to perform at all three events held for the Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia. Their debut album Songs of Lies and Deceit was released in August 2013 to critical acclaim from Uncut, Clash, Q, Rocksound, Classic Rock Magazine, and leading French print mag Les Inrocks. Reviews heaped praise on the band's ability to make a sonically challenging album while maintaining an ear for a tune throughout; an impressive knack for combining melody with experimentation and noise. The Lucid Dream demonstrates the band covering new areas, as always. "Mona Lisa" and "Cold Killer" channel the influence of German geniuses Can and NEU! before the the free-form jazz/noise freak-out that is "The Darkest Day/Head Musik." The success of "Moonstruck" and "Unchained" has shown the band's ability to appeal across the board, while "Unchained Dub" (already a live favorite) expresses the love of King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry -- fans and critics alike are already aware that The Lucid Dream are the only band of their ilk touching so many areas. "Morning Breeze," throughout its seven minutes, displays feedback experiments in the vein of Sonic Youth. The album closes with "You + I," something like early '60s pop meets Mazzy Star meets Spiritualized circa Ladies and Gentlemen.