I'm Just Trying To Remember...

Shamelessly named after the drone group featuring La Monte Young, John Cale, and Tony Conrad, The Dream Syndicate was perhaps the Paisley Underground's darkest and most experimental groups. After getting lost in the Longwood Medical Area this early afternoon I finally began to understand why this album is often considered the greatest of the movement, though I am not sure if I would agree with that. Rather than channeling the more pop-oriented psychedelic groups of the sixties like Rain Parade, Green on Red, and The Three O'Clock were, The Dream Syndicate is most in touch with The Velvet Underground and Television. Their songs are much longer and build into a less traditional structure. It is a more challenging listen than the other Paisley Underground records I've posted, but in the artistic sense, it's even more rewarding, in the same way that the minimalistic album art would suggest. Standout tracks include the title track, "Until Lately" and the group's most accessible song "That's What You Always Say". Included as well is the preceding EP and Steve Wynn's 15 Minutes EP which he released before forming the group, planning for it to be his last foray into music. Thank god it wasn't. The music on here is some of the earliest of the Paisley Underground Movement, being only beat by the Salvation Army (later The Three O'Clock) and Green on Red's first EPs.


The Dream Syndicate - The Days of Wine and Roses (1982)