Youth Lagoon : Rarely Do I Dream
Singer/songwriter Trevor Powers, better known as Youth Lagoon, pontificated about his latest album, “I wanted to make an album that feels like life itself.” With Rarely Do I Dream, he has done just that. Drawing inspiration and audio content from a box of camcorder recordings documenting his childhood, Powers creates a sonic landscape that, despite its real-life origins, ironically enough feels very dreamlike. This is Americana for the 21st century, forcing millennial listeners to reckon with the fact that these simpler times, before the age of the smartphone, are upwards of 30 years ago. In an age where so much of humanity’s comings and goings are documented to the point of feeling self indulgent and trite, childhood artifacts such as those employed on Rarely Do I Dream feel like a treasure trove.
Rarely Do I Dream is a cornucopia of sounds both timeless and timely, blending synthesizers and electronic drums with acoustic guitars and trumpet. Vocally, Powers gives his stories an almost ghost-like quality, using double octaves and muted delivery to lend a simultaneously intimate yet distant aura to the stories he tells.
A particular highlight is “Perfect World,” a swirling mass of polyrhythms, which features a chord progression that even the most snobbish jazz aficionado would be happy to solo over. Structurally, this song owes a great debt to the loud-soft formula that was a signature for Nirvana and so many other ’90s alternative rock bands, while managing to not feel derivative at all. This same attention to harmonic detail is on full display in “Parking Lot,” which switches seamlessly between major and minor tonalities.
The drum and percussion production and performance throughout the record are of a consistently high caliber, with each selection containing unique aesthetic choices. Especially compelling in terms of groove is “Saturday Cowboy Matinee,” which features a glitched electronic drum part that even J Dilla could appreciate. This album feels like a single piece of music, and should be consumed as such. Listeners will be treated to a musical journey through Powers’ most precious memories juxtaposed with his search for truth regarding his current self.
Label: Fat Possum
Year: 2025
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