When stress hits, I just want to lie down and listen to a dreamy kind of music. I am perhaps a bit Gothic so I don’t really go for fluffy and happy sounds with the exception of Cocteau Twins. Drowning Dreams sound like a cool answer to one’s thirst for unique music. The guitars remind me a bit of old Cure, The Smiths and Bauhaus-and yes Cocteau Twins. There’s that jangly feel. But there’s also that laid back effects that tell you this is not a tired 80s dark wave rip off, but rather a style of its own that’s ever evolving. The music of Dream while drowning is a seascape of infinite bliss.

Upon few listens, you get that impression of swimming in cerulean seas of sonic meditation that remains unbroken until the last track. The seamless, diaphanous meshing and cavorting of sounds create that effect of being inside a womb. Drowning Dreams are a band emerging from Philadelphia’s burgeoning collective of independent artists called Patetico Recordings. The guys behind specialize  in lo-fi post rock, dreampop, shoegazer, electro-dreampop, nu-gaze, electropop, dreamy, psychedelic, slocore, indie rock, post rock, post punk, DIY, ethereal-name it, they got it.

You can tell that the tracks in Dream while drowning have undergone laser-like production technique. Such meticulous attention to sonic detail can be found in songs like Leave it All Behind where there’s this lengthy guitar instrumental at the end of the song(two and a half minutes). I like Sirens of Io because of the title and the arrangement. Man, the guitar style is enough to drive any Robin Guthrie and Liz Fraser fan drool.

I usually listen to this album late at night when I am trying to tone down the mood and imagine the ethereal guitars create light patterns on the ceiling. Yes, I listen to this to let the time pass until lids become heavy and Morpheus calls. There are more yummy tracks like To hell you opened the gates, Ipotane, Mephistopheles and a whole bunch. The titles just dance around my brain.

So if it is a Saturday night and you are staying home, push the time with this album. Who knows? Your subconscious might inspire you to do works of genius!