Laboratory Noise - Hope is a Waking Dream

  by Paul Raven

published: 10 / 12 / 2007

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Review

The shoegaze revival is gathering pace, and Laboratory Noise are well placed to ride the wave – the 'Hope Is A Waking Dream' EP draws heavily on the rich palette of sounds that were such a feature of the indie scene of the early 90's, weaving a tapestry of diverse textures to explore behind closed eyelids. Opening up with saturated chord drones and smoothly moving into a mellow atmosphere of psychedelia, first track 'Here, She Is Evergreen' lifts you gently from the surface of the planet, conjuring an alternate reality that dispels all though of the world outside – uplifting and atmospheric, the tiny hints of discord serve to emphasise the delicate mantra of the vocal parts and create a slice of classic bliss-pop. But that's not the only trick up Laboratory Noise's sleeve; while 'Realisation' follows in the footsteps of the opening song, 'Let's Talk About Psychosis' ramps up the sense of space and sets off on a deep excursion into post-rock territories, with strangely off-key arpeggios and legato drones conjuring a slightly oppressive and paranoid atmosphere that is the flip-side to the earlier breezy optimism. And then it all changes again with 'You Created A Storm', which recaptures the driving energy of the rockier end of old-school indie. Jangly chords, vocals that bring to mind the better moments of the Charlatans' back catalogue, filter-swept keyboard notes, rattling drums battering out the velocity of hot teenage summers ... if this had been released in 1992, it would have torn its way into the alternative charts and made Laboratory Noise the darlings of the music weeklies. It makes me feel fifteen again, and there's not a lot of music that can do that these days. Finally we close out with 'You Can Never Be Inside Someone Else's Head', which returns us to the stripped-back blissful haze where we began. The title is telling, because as true as it may stand as a statement, Laboratory Noise make a damn fine effort at proving it incorrect. This is a very promising release – the time is right for a band making this sort of music. My only concern is that it's nakedly tied to a bygone era; that's lovely for people like myself who have a deep nostalgia for the music of the early 90's, but it should be hoped that Laboratory Noise can create their own distinctive take on the style, and in doing so carve themselves a place in the pantheon of the next few years. Keep an ear out for these guys – one way or the other, I think we'll be hearing a lot more from them very soon.

Track Listing:-

1 Here She Is Evergreen
2 Realisation
3 Let's Talk About Psychosis
4 You Created A Storm
5 You Can Never Get Inside Someone Else's Head
6 Video You Created A Storm