The Dream Syndicate
How Did I Find Myself Here?

«How did I find myself here?» Steve Wynn wonders, more amazed than disoriented.

Let me try to explain.

Let's put it this way, he finds himself here because a few years ago he made a promise and that promise was not kept.

I remember him saying at Raji's that it would be the last time the fabulous Dream Syndicate would sing the days of wine and roses, and I seemed to see the sigh of relief from Dennis Duck who had pounded on those days a thousand and more times; Steve immediately began to encourage the audience to scream at the top of their lungs because they wouldn't witness a show like this even if they lived another hundred years; and their screams should overpower his voice, his guitar and Paul Cutler's, Dennis's drums, and Mark Walton's bass, because that evening would end up on two vinyls and those vinyls would put an end to a story that was beautiful.

But we all know how things go: first there was the need to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of a record and then the thirtieth anniversary of what came after, and it would have been nice to relive those days made of wine and roses; so that promise made many years ago was either forgotten or remembered very well, but the enthusiasm of the moment outweighed the last famous words; and the piercing feedback that broke the dream could now make it truer than true.

And after celebrating the days of wine and roses with dignity, Steve decided that the wine would flow again and the roses would smell sweet; in rock 'n' roll terms, he decided that Dream Syndicate would return to making new music.

So he calls the old mates: Dennis is in, Mark is in, trusted Jason Victor instead of Paul; three out of four, they were the ones who woke everyone up at Raji's.

Then, whether these are the "real" Dream Syndicate is of little consequence; again, whether «How Did I Find Myself Here» is the new Dream Syndicate record after 28 years from the night at Raji's or Steve's new solo record, is also, fundamentally idle.

Steve did not worry about such problems and rightly so because otherwise, it could have happened that I'd never have this album in my hands, which would have been a shame; «How Did I Find Myself Here», in fact, is a good album; a great album, judging with the heart alone.

"Real" or "false," these are the Dream Syndicate of 2017 and they sound much like solo Steve Wynn; and why be surprised, if Steve was the author of almost all the repertoire, even in the days of wine and roses?

What matters – more so, the only thing that matters – is that Steve's songwriting is always of an excellent quality level.

For example, let's take the major sources of Dream Syndicate's inspiration: Velvet Underground and Television.

You say Velvet Underground and you start listening to the album from the end, from the six hypnotic minutes of «Kendra's Dream», which is not a plagiarism but one of the most credible recreations of "that" sound heard in the new century, indeed, without a doubt, with that wall of guitars growing and growing and growing, repeatedly, without digressions; and it hits you, because it is clear that Kendra is Kendra Smith and that it's her voice that comes out of the grooves, that voice so light and enveloping that it seems to come from far worlds, almost to awaken the memory of Nico: «I keep having the same dream, I keep having the same dream, it's a beautiful dream», I keep having the same dream, I keep having the same dream and it's a beautiful dream, like dreaming of «Too Little, Too Late», year of our Lord 1982, Kendra's first and last time, signed to the dream syndicate and in front of a microphone, so beautiful it convinced her to go to other shores, Opal and other wonderful stories.

You say Television and memory flies to the exhausting but satisfying jams with Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, and then it's enough to take a step back, to the eleven minutes of the title track that encompasses everything, even jazz and funk accents, and is the sum, the closing of some circle, perhaps the one drawn in a song like «John Coltrane's Stereo Blues».

It is here that you find, if not the sound, at least the splendid attitude of the fabulous Dream Syndicate.

Then there is a lot of flour from Steve's bag, the one who spent thirty years solo, but after all, he always had Dream Syndicate in his soul, it couldn't have gone differently.

The dark, acidic psychedelia of «Filter Me Through You», controlled, languid pace, inaugurating the album under the best auspices, with his partner Linda Pitmon and Chris Cacavas on organ, and maybe this is another circle closed; the driving, propulsive bursts of «The Circle», raw, aggressive, overwhelming ride as only he knew (knows) how to lead; the sunny nonchalance that floats in «Like Mary», truly coming from some of his best solo moments; the rocky and dynamic rock of «Out Of My Head», dominated by the guitar interplays of Steve and Jason, and of «80 West», with that bass line seemingly lifted from «That's What You Always Say» ...

«I should have sat down and talked to you but the mood always changes; I should have waited a week or two but would have probably changed my mind» ...

So it's better to act on impulse and jot down these feelings while they're fresh.

Wisely, Reverend Lys noted that these are certainly not the days of wine and roses, but that these days of Wynn and roses are beautiful and worthy of being told.

You go back to dreaming with open eyes.