It was not easy for Steve, towards the end of the eighties, to put an end to the brief but intense musical history of the Dream Syndicate; he knows he made a difficult but correct decision. He immediately embarked on a career under his own name, and "Fluorescent", released in 1994, represents his third solo album.

A man at peace with himself: it is the cover image that shows us the author, many hairs ago, in an intimate, almost submissive attitude with that lowered face that can barely confront the camera.

An entirely autumnal album, recorded not by chance in the autumn of 1993 in the quiet of Venice, a suburb of his Los Angeles; the electric sounds of the two previous records are almost entirely set aside to make room for acoustic guitar, for arrangements of simplicity that are at times even embarrassing and unexpected.

The stories told by Steve in the songs that compose the album are simple; straightforward tales of ordinary people. A storyteller of our times; among others, he is accompanied on this journey by Howe Gelb, John Wesley Harding, Victoria Williams.

The not-even-three minutes of "Follow Me" (vocals, acoustic guitar, and little else) wonderfully open the album: with that ending where Steve repeats the title endlessly as the song fades, moves away from the listener, concludes. Goosebumps...

The soft and delicate psychedelic rock of "Collision Course," the brief pop-folk of "Carelessly" with that harmonica that smacks of the West Coast: songs that get into your blood and head from the first listen (and are still well-rooted in me over twenty years since their release).

But the proper tribute and remembrance of that proud Syndicate cannot be missing: with "Older," the electric plug is reconnected to the amplifier. It's a healthy rock ride where Steve raises the rhythm for a track that could very well stand up to that epochal work that was "The Days Of Wine And Roses" by the never-forgotten Dream Syndicate. It's my favorite track, without a doubt.

The electricity is soon put away to make room for "That's Why I Wear Black," another song with enveloping acoustic tones that move between Cash, Dylan, Woody Guthrie, with that superb voice of Steve's that, once again, gives lively emotions with an ending... discover it yourself.

Personally, one of the best albums in the infinite career of the American singer-songwriter; a tribute to Steve for his recent birthday on February 20th.

There is a reissue released in 2002 that contains a wealth of eight bonus tracks; I recommend this latest version.

Ad Maiora.

Tracklist

01   Follow Me (02:53)

02   Collision Course (04:06)

03   Carelessly (02:48)

04   Carry A Torch (05:25)

05   Open The Door (03:23)

06   Older (04:50)

07   Layer By Layer (03:19)

08   That's Why I Wear Black (03:28)

09   Wedding Bells (03:08)

10   The Sun Rises In The West (03:53)

11   Look Both Ways (02:18)

12   Never Ending Rain (04:33)

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