Aztec Camera
Dreamland

THE REVIEW

I've been all about "those things" for a while now: the pop that's a bit snazzy and chic from the much-maligned '80s. You know, right? Talk Talk, the Blue Nile, Prefab Sprout, Raintown and The Nightfly, Mike Pela's productions (Sade and EBTG recording their debuts simultaneously in the same studio with the same producer). Basically, stuff to be ashamed of in these meaningful year 0 Arci circles.

Let's also include the good-great Roddy Frame and his Aztec Camera. I mean, in '83, I was 7 years old, it was Sanremo with Toto Cutugno and Fra Cionfoli. Totally out of time. But this "Dreamland" is from '93 and along with the great Roddy, Ryuichi Sakamoto makes an appearance in production. Maybe that piques your curiosity a bit. Better not to get your hopes up too much. "Dreamland" is not an essential album. It's listenable, even re-listenable. It's not "High Land," it's not "Love." It's simply a Frame album with Sakamoto.

It's an album made when there was money to make albums. Even those that aren't super amazing. There's "Black Lucia," there's "Spanish Horses." There's Frame's talent, inconsistent. And thank goodness! Nowadays, talents are one-shot wonders and then onto the next. Today, money is scarce. However, Rhino has released a box set with the entire Aztec discography. That must mean something.