Even the most fervent and forgiving Mr. Dream fan would have to admit that their debut, Trash Hit, wasn't shy about whose test answers it was swiping. Whether their Trouser Press (4th Edition) idolatry came off as ingratiating or grating, there's no question Mr. Dream did what they did very well. That said, sometimes imitation is simply imitation, and these guys tend to cross into that realm more often than folks with their skill and savvy should. While many folks (including Pitchfork's Matthew Perpetua) thought Trash Hit closer "Learn The Language" was a stop-the-presses highlight, it left me wondering why they were coping their moves from Shellac's "Prayer To God", and (more importantly) to what effect. Fatherland's "The Room" strikes a similar bum note at the end of the EP, though credit to Mr. Dream for picking some choice source material. If you're going to "pay homage" to a track as notable as Public Image Ltd.'s "Poptones", though, a wry nod or wink works a whole lot better than shameless over-the-top mugging.
All my grousing aside, it's not so much the outright thievery that grates, but the fact that Mr. Dream's trying to make like an in-your-face bruiser just isn't a good look for them. They definitely try to sound the part, thanks in large measure to the EP's Albini-esque production, which brings over the wrecking-ball rhythm section and pavement-saw guitars from Trash Hit. Instead of also emulating that album's agreeable polish and shine, there's a cruddy layer of reverb on everything; vocalist Adam Moerder (who, along with drummer Nick Sylvester, has contributed to Pitchfork) often sounds like he's singing into a tin can rather than a microphone, and the guitars sometimes take on a queasy, nauseating tone. Where Trash Hit sounds like something made by folks primed for a post-Nevermind major label deal, Fatherland is squarely the product of a beloved yet forgotten mid-1980s group that once opened for down-roster Homestead Records signees.
Still, as tracks like "The Room" and "Fatherland" demonstrate, this purposefully regressive sound doesn't necessarily make the group's tough-guy poses any more believable. Moerder's more than capable as a vocalist, and the fact that he can veer from Cobain-esque mewling to Lydon-esque howls without much warning is impressive. Those kinds of gymnastics are wasted on these tracks, unfortunately, as he's left to backflip and cartwheel all over the place while the music throws an array of punches that never quite land. It's like Mr. Dream wants to be heavyweights, but they're just not able to hold their own in that weight class. What they can do is infuse their tighter, more melodic efforts with just the right amounts of dissonance and power. It's on tracks like "Palace Complex" and especially "Believing And Shitting" where the songwriting, the playing, and the production choices all seem to have their eyes on the same prize, which is to make songs that emulate your Surfer Rosas and Secaucuses and other alt/indie touchstones with sounding exactly like them. The EP's (and the group's) lone acoustic number, "Slow Learner", could possibly be on par with those tunes if Moerder didn't have his heart set on making the song submit to the power of his voice, but in lieu of half-hearted attempts to grab a younger Corey Rusk's attention by recapitulating his label's highlights, these kinds of detours are most welcome.
