Black Sheep is still Dreaming

 

COLLAPSE

Black Sheep is Still Dreaming

(Only Feedback) 

When I was buying records in the late 80s / early 90s, a lot of them were from US and UK indie labels like Creation, 4AD, Slumberland, SpinArt, and Pop Narcotic, among many others.  I didn’t think that each LP, EP or 7” I purchased was part of a burgeoning “scene,” which would be later coined “shoegaze.”  I just thought of each label putting out like minded releases because they were all run by a couple of people at most, so their tastes coincided with where I was at at the time.  What I liked about so many of these releases is that they checked a lot of different boxes for me.  These bands were not afraid to play loud and fast, they dabbled in experimentation with noise and heavy doses of feedback, yet could also go so mellow that they were ambient, they weren’t afraid to release records that had dance beats, or were straight up jangle pop.  Sometimes, all of these elements were in one song!  Has anyone listened to the Boo Radleys “Lazarus” lately? 

the Boo Radleys "Lazarus"

I was first introduced to Japanese fourpiece COLLAPSE in the spring of 2018.  It was the closer of their EP Delirium Poetry, “Tokyo,” and its unbelievably melancholic atmosphere drew me in.  It is a heavy guitar song that has a hook that is so mournful and languid that one cannot help but feel something reflective and emotional.  I became an instant fan and have hungrily gobbled up their few single releases over the past few years.  Black Sheep is Still Dreaming is their long-awaited debut LP! 

Listening to this album is such a joy!  It is, for me, like listening to those records, like I did some thirty years ago, unencumbered by genre.  It would’ve fit right in.  It is diverse, loud, very loud, dreamy, catchy, fast, heavy, and light.  They do employ a lot of LOUD, quiet, LOUD in their songs, or at least song to song, which is a very early 90s element, one which I never grew tired of.  It was an element that appealed to me I suppose in an orchestral way.  It was very dramatic.  

Their single, “Drown,” from the spring of 2020 is this collection’s melancholic heavy hitter, but I swear that it’s slow beat and blasting guitars are that much more effective due to its placement between the quiet street noise/piano instrumental “epilogue,” and the shredding punk pop “Syrup.”   “Syrup” sounds like a Jawbreaker outtake circa 1992, with a female singing falsetto in place of Blake Schwarzenbach.  The other glorious pre-LP singles singles “Vertigo” and “Garden” are also included.  “Vertigo is an upbeat pop number that isn’t afraid to be loud, while “Garden” is a breezy wonder a little reminiscent of Chaperhouse’s legendary “Pearl.”

I cannot tell you how much I love this album!  I find myself listening to it on repeat often and tweaking the volume up incrementally until my ears buzz.  Thankfully, I splurged for the CD, which comes with two incredible exclusive bonus tracks!  Well worth the expense, if you ask me.  Their debut album may have been a long time coming, but I’m already hankering for more.  Please seek this out.

(https://collapse-jp.bandcamp.com/album/black-sheep-is-still-dreaming)

COLLAPSE "Garden"