Of Summers & Urinals: Shannon Glass on WhoMadeWho’s <i>Dreams</i>
of-summers-urinals-shannon-glass-on-whomadewhos-dreams
February 27, 2014
ready
4
# Of Summers & Urinals: Shannon Glass on WhoMadeWho’s Dreams
The Copenhagen electropop trio return with an album of
sun-kissed guitar and funky synths; they're aiming for the perfect
summer anthem, says Shannon Glass.
It must be hard to be an eighties-influenced band in a post-2008 world.
How do you top a year that brought us the likes of [Hot Chip][1]{:
target="_blank"}, [Ladyhawke][2]{: target="_blank"}, [Justice][3]{:
target="_blank"}, [Empire of The Sun][4]{: target="_blank"}, [M83][5]{:
target="_blank"} and [La Roux][6]{: target="_blank"}---arguably the
climax of nostalgia-leaning electro? The answer, according to
[WhoMadeWho][7]{: target="_blank"}'s latest album *Dreams*, is with
panache.
Of course, *Dreams* isn't exactly the Copenhagen trio's first time up to
bat. [Tomas Barfod][8]{: target="_blank"}, Jeppe Kjellberg, and Tomas
Hoffding have been putting out their brand of enjoyably memorable
synthpop since 2003; more than enough time for them to have learned how
to turn a tune out that will be accessible to even the most casual
listener. Having captured the interest of a number of high-profile
labels over the years (the likes of which include [Kompakt][9]{:
target="_blank"}, [Gomma][10]{: target="_blank"} and [Friends of
Friends][11]{: target="_blank"}) it's surprising that their latest
venture would be self-released; then again, as Kjellberg has stated,
after years of touring and releasing records with the usual suspects,
the group simply wanted to try something *new*. That sense of trying to
rediscover yourself is present throughout *Dreams*, an album which finds
the more danceable aspects of their work being put to the side in favor
of Kjellberg's guitar work.
Tracks like "The Morning", with it's sun-kissed vibe, funk-flavored
beats and slightly bittersweet lyrics like, *"Times were changing faster
than I ever understood,"* is worthy of sitting alongside any summer
anthem of days past. "Hiding In Darkness" resonates strongly as well,
but that might just be my Berliner side; it's hard not to feel sympathy
for a song inspired by visits to the great techno-church of
[Berghain][12]{: target="_blank"}, and even more so when the
[accompanying video][13]{: target="_blank"} is based around an
installation based around the sound of pee hitting a urinal trough. For
as many bathroom adventures as Berghain offers, this is definitely a new
one on me... err, well hopefully not *on* me.
As catchy as the eleven tracks on *Dreams* might be, by the album's
midpoint "Heads Above" the repetition of WMW's approach starts to drag a
bit. Their stylized pop may be individually distinctive, but when
presented together in a single format, things start to feel a bit too
similar. As well, it's a bit hard to get overly excited about---in a
musical landscape dotted with so many forward-thinking electronic
producers, *Dreams* has its feet firmly planted in a very specific time
and place. If that's something you can overlook, however, you'll find
plenty of lush sounds to soak your brain in. Expect this one to get
major play once June rolls around.⁓
Dreams is out March 3rd via WhoMadeWho.
[1]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhASu2OjEcQ
[2]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N3htdoJLnY
[3]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeGpbh1k2Jg
[4]: http://vimeo.com/33887533
[5]: http://vimeo.com/2840012
[6]: http://vimeo.com/35348289
[7]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/artist/whomadewho/
[8]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/artist/tomas-barfod/
[9]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/tag/kompakt/
[10]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/tag/gomma/
[11]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/tag/friends-of-friends-2/
[12]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/tag/berghain/
[13]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55r6MuWc-gA
---
id: eacf25ad-373b-4cd1-8262-4d551cb01613
blueprint: article
title: 'Of Summers & Urinals: Shannon Glass on WhoMadeWho’s <i>Dreams</i>'
date: 2014-02-27T10:22:25+01:00
wp_id: '71194'
slug: of-summers-urinals-shannon-glass-on-whomadewhos-dreams
teaser_image: legacy/of-summers-urinals-shannon-glass-on-whomadewhos-dreams/Electronic-Beats-WhoMadeWho-Dreams.jpg
contents:
-
type: text
text: |-
<p><strong><strong>The Copenhagen electropop trio return with an album of sun-kissed guitar and funky synths; they’re aiming for the perfect summer anthem, says <strong>Shannon Glass</strong>.</strong><br>
</strong></p><p>It must be hard to be an eighties-influenced band in a post-2008 world. How do you top a year that brought us the likes of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhASu2OjEcQ" target="_blank">Hot Chip</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N3htdoJLnY" target="_blank">Ladyhawke</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeGpbh1k2Jg" target="_blank">Justice</a>, <a href="http://vimeo.com/33887533" target="_blank">Empire of The Sun</a>, <a href="http://vimeo.com/2840012" target="_blank">M83</a> and <a href="http://vimeo.com/35348289" target="_blank">La Roux</a>—arguably the climax of nostalgia-leaning electro? The answer, according to <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/artist/whomadewho/" target="_blank">WhoMadeWho</a>‘s latest album <em>Dreams</em>, is with panache.</p><p>Of course, <em>Dreams</em> isn’t exactly the Copenhagen trio’s first time up to bat. <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/artist/tomas-barfod/" target="_blank">Tomas Barfod</a>, Jeppe Kjellberg, and Tomas Hoffding have been putting out their brand of enjoyably memorable synthpop since 2003; more than enough time for them to have learned how to turn a tune out that will be accessible to even the most casual listener. Having captured the interest of a number of high-profile labels over the years (the likes of which include <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/tag/kompakt/" target="_blank">Kompakt</a>, <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/tag/gomma/" target="_blank">Gomma</a> and <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/tag/friends-of-friends-2/" target="_blank">Friends of Friends</a>) it’s surprising that their latest venture would be self-released; then again, as Kjellberg has stated, after years of touring and releasing records with the usual suspects, the group simply wanted to try something <em>new</em>. That sense of trying to rediscover yourself is present throughout <em>Dreams</em>, an album which finds the more danceable aspects of their work being put to the side in favor of Kjellberg’s guitar work.</p><p>Tracks like “The Morning”, with it’s sun-kissed vibe, funk-flavored beats and slightly bittersweet lyrics like, <em>“Times were changing faster than I ever understood,”</em> is worthy of sitting alongside any summer anthem of days past. “Hiding In Darkness” resonates strongly as well, but that might just be my Berliner side; it’s hard not to feel sympathy for a song inspired by visits to the great techno-church of <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/tag/berghain/" target="_blank">Berghain</a>, and even more so when the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55r6MuWc-gA" target="_blank">accompanying video</a> is based around an installation based around the sound of pee hitting a urinal trough. For as many bathroom adventures as Berghain offers, this is definitely a new one on me… err, well hopefully not <em>on</em> me.</p><p>As catchy as the eleven tracks on <em>Dreams</em> might be, by the album’s midpoint “Heads Above” the repetition of WMW’s approach starts to drag a bit. Their stylized pop may be individually distinctive, but when presented together in a single format, things start to feel a bit too similar. As well, it’s a bit hard to get overly excited about—in a musical landscape dotted with so many forward-thinking electronic producers, <em>Dreams</em> has its feet firmly planted in a very specific time and place. If that’s something you can overlook, however, you’ll find plenty of lush sounds to soak your brain in. Expect this one to get major play once June rolls around.⁓</p><p>Dreams<em> is out March 3rd via <a href="http://www.whomadewho.dk/" target="_blank">WhoMadeWho</a>. </em></p>
---
Chunk #1 (Position: 0)
# Of Summers & Urinals: Shannon Glass on WhoMadeWho’s Dreams The Copenhagen electropop trio return with an album of sun-kissed guitar and funky synths; they're aiming for the perfect summer anthem, says Shannon Glass. It must be hard to be an eighties-influenced band in a post-2008 wor...
Chunk #2 (Position: 1)
How do you top a year that brought us the likes of [Hot Chip][1]{: target="_blank"}, [Ladyhawke][2]{: target="_blank"}, [Justice][3]{: target="_blank"}, [Empire of The Sun][4]{: target="_blank"}, [M83][5]{: target="_blank"} and [La Roux][6]{: target="_blank"}---arguably the climax ...
Chunk #3 (Position: 2)
Having captured the interest of a number of high-profile labels over the years (the likes of which include [Kompakt][9]{: target="_blank"}, [Gomma][10]{: target="_blank"} and [Friends of Friends][11]{: target="_blank"}) it's surprising that their latest venture would be self-released; then again,...
Chunk #4 (Position: 3)
For as many bathroom adventures as Berghain offers, this is definitely a new one on me. err, well hopefully not *on* me. As catchy as the eleven tracks on *Dreams* might be, by the album's midpoint "Heads Above" the repetition of WMW's approach starts to drag a bit. Their stylized pop may be...