“The past is easier to bend/I found a way to slow it down,” sings the Dream Syndicate’s Steve Wynn on “The Circle.” It’s a fiery rock song from How Did I Find Myself Here?, the 1980s post-punk band’s first new album in nearly 30 years. In the context of the Dream Syndicate’s career, the “past” is referenced in a number of ways on this record: the atmospheric, guitar-focused rock that veered between noise and subtlety; Wynn’s moody and angsty, enigmatic lyrics that evoke noir cinema and literature; and a penchant for extended instrumental jamming. Even How Did I Find Myself Here?’s minimalist cover art design is a throwback to the group’s outstanding debut from 1982, The Days of Wine and Roses.
Maybe Wynn was asking himself the new album’s titular question five years ago, when he first resurrected his long-dormant group. When the Dream Syndicate originally emerged in the early ’80s, they defined Los Angeles’ Paisley Underground, a music scene that paid homage to the Velvet Underground as well as 1960s pop and psychedelic groups. The Dream Syndicate caused a stir thanks to the critical acclaim of their debut (they were featured in Rolling Stone at one point). Yet The Days of Wine and Roses was a hard act to follow, as their subsequent albums steered toward an almost mainstream roots-influenced direction, similar to that of R.E.M. and Neil Young. With some personnel changes—notably the departures of founding members Kendra Smith and Karl Precoda—and a lack of commercial success, the group broke up after 1988’s somewhat downbeat Ghost Stories.
During the long hiatus, the Dream Syndicate’s stature has grown thanks to The Days of Wine and Roses, which still sounds timeless 35 years later and has been reissued twice; the group’s music has been held in high esteem from members of such bands as Wilco, Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr., and Japandroids. In 2012, Wynn reformed the Dream Syndicate for some shows with himself and drummer Dennis Duck from the original lineup; bassist Mark Walton, who appeared on the later Syndicate records; and guitarist Jason Victor, a longtime collaborator on Wynn's solo projects.
The fact that this lineup—joined by keyboardist Chris Cacavas—took their time to record a new album at least shows a determination to make this reunion feel like it was done with good intentions. Thus, fans may be buoyed at how the new record recalls some elements of the band’s peak circa ’82, as evident on a couple of the moody rockers: the turbulent and punk-driven “The Circle”; the exhilarating “Out of My Head,” with its sheets of bruising and abrasive guitar; and “80 West,” a dark road tale seemingly inspired by a 1950s crime pulp novel. The familiarity also applies to the group’s reflective side, such as the melancholic “Like Mary,” a song that actually dates back 35 years ago from a band rehearsal and is now revisited for this album.
But the track on How Did I Find Myself Here? that finds the Dream Syndicate really reaching back to their past is closer “Kendra’s Dream.” It is sung by Kendra Smith, the band’s original bass player, and it marks the first time her voice has appeared on a Dream Syndicate recording in 35 years, having left the band after The Days of Wine and Roses (her exquisite vocal on “Too Little Too Late” remains one of the high points on the debut album). This surrealistic stream-of-consciousness work, with Smith’s voice now sounding deeper, incorporates ambient-like textures. It’s a different side of the band and yet a fitting conclusion to the record.
How Did I Find Myself Here? isn’t entirely a nostalgia exercise. It wisely branches out a bit musically and lyrically: The opening tracks “Filter Me Through You” and “Glide” are uncharacteristically soulful and upbeat. And like “Kendra’s Dream,” the 11-minute-plus title song represents a stylistic departure with its slow and trippy mix of funk, jazz, and Stax-influenced R&B. That track echoes such previous epics like “John Coltrane Stereo Blues” and “The Days of Wine and Roses” where the band members really show their musical chops.
Having not appeared on a Dream Syndicate studio record together since ’88, Wynn, Duck, and Walton sound revitalized on this album, with a similar energy to that expended on “Out of My Head” and “80 West.” Victor, the relative newbie in this lineup, channels the spirits of his predecessors Karl Precoda and Paul Cutler with his own version of the serrated guitar playing that has been a key part of the band’s sound. While certainly not on the level of The Days of Wine and Roses, this reunion record could be considered that debut’s rightful follow-up, at least in spirit. If the the Dream Syndicate ended their career the first time on an unfinished note, then How Did I Find Myself Here? perhaps opens up, after three decades, a hopeful new chapter.
