New Music Reviews

Album Review: Peel Dream Magazine – ‘Rose Main Reading Room’

  • June 26, 2024
  • 3 min read
  • 453 Views
[addtoany]
Album Review: Peel Dream Magazine – ‘Rose Main Reading Room’

Rose Main Reading Room, the fourth full-length album by Peel Dream Magazine, is an auditory delight best experienced through a pair of good headphones. This lush, inviting record is the perfect soundtrack for city bus rides and introspective, rainy-day journeys to unknown destinations. Named after the legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, Peel Dream Magazine has always embraced genre experimentation, from motorik krautrock to shoegaze and space-age pop. Their latest work, however, is their most accessible and catchy collection of songs to date, making it an excellent entry point for new listeners.

Set against the backdrop of New York City’s iconic landmarks, such as the American Museum of Natural History and Grand Central Station, songwriter Joseph Stevens intricately weaves personal narratives into the broader tapestry of the natural world. Themes of instinct, animality, and evolution are explored with depth and nuance. The album’s lead single, “Lie In The Gutter,” beautifully encapsulates the driving, rhythmic essence of the band’s earlier work, drawing favorable comparisons to Stereolab and Yo La Tengo while maintaining a unique identity.

Stevens explains the inspiration behind the single and its accompanying video:
“This video is cut from footage we filmed on a few different tours between the fall of 2023 and Spring of 2024, and I love it because it captures the amazing feeling and energy that those trips had. There are cameos from bands we were touring with, like Chastity Belt and Gift, and friends like Simi Sohota from Healing Potpourri. A lot of it was shot in the Pacific Northwest and features some hikes we got to take among the dense green forests up there. I wanted to capture that stuff because this theme of ‘the natural world’ has been jostling around my brain for a while and is a big part of the album. The song is meant to be a very simple statement about finding joy and wonder in life despite whatever may be on your mind. The phrase it’s taken from is the trite but sweet Oscar Wilde quote, ‘We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.'”

Rose Main Reading Room is a testament to Peel Dream Magazine’s ability to evoke a sense of place and emotion through sound. Stevens’ lyricism is both personal and universal, making the album resonate on multiple levels. The meticulous production and lush arrangements make this a record that not only invites repeated listens but almost demands them. It’s a journey through the mind and the natural world, filled with moments of introspection and revelation.

Don’t miss Peel Dream Magazine on their upcoming tour, where they will be sharing their new music live across North America. Here are the full list of dates:

Tour Dates:

  • July 31 Wed Andy’s Bar – Denton, TX
  • Aug 02 Fri Saturn – Birmingham, AL *
  • Aug 03 Sat The Blue Room – Nashville, TN *
  • Aug 05 Mon Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL *
  • Aug 06 Tue Magic Stick – Detroit, MI *
  • Aug 08 Thu Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON *
  • Aug 09 Fri Théâtre Fairmount – Montréal, QC *
  • Aug 11 Sun The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA *
  • Aug 12 Mon Elsewhere – Brooklyn, NY *
  • Aug 13 Tue Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA *
  • Aug 14 Wed Union Stage – Washington, DC *
  • Aug 16 Fri Masquerade (Altar) – Atlanta, GA
  • Aug 18 Sun Mohawk (inside) – Austin, TX
  • Sep 07 Sat Zebulon – Los Angeles, CA # (Record Release Show)
  • = with Wild Nothing

= with Goon

https://youtu.be/gN3tuitU3ac?si=x1XzqXYBHHU1YWAI

 

Share Button
About Author

Chris Ryan

Chris Ryan is an accomplished promoter, event planner, producer, activist, counselor, poet and blogger. Within the course of two and a half years Chris Ryan has worked with some of NYC's most established promoters/event planners, been named 2007′s GaySocialite of the year, granted a promoter of the year award from NYC's most famous gay establishment, Splash. He's worked in some of NYC's top venues including; Avalon, Capitale, Cipriani, Cielo, Pacha, Element, Le Poisson Rouge, XL, G Lounge, Plumm, Hilton Hotel, Indigo Hotel, Spirit, Myst/Quo, Splash, The Ritz, Vlada, Roseland Ballroom, Heaven, etc.In 2008, Chris Ryan has begun to unveil some of the most innovative & unique parties New York City has ever seen. The Fusion events "fuse" together all disciplines of art into an event that remains diverse yet cohesive at the same time. ChrisRyanNYC.com won best gay promotions website from NYC Event Patrons in 2008 & he was granted an award from the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, Gov. Patterson & Michelle Clunie (QAF) saluting him for his hard work in nightlife. Chris Ryan has also begun working with many renown companies, including; doctors, lawyers, physicians, modeling agencies & more. Chris Ryan has been responsible for wide-scale promotions for all these companies & generating tremendous business. Chris Ryan has even started to become National with events taking place in LA & Miami this year.In May of 2009 Chris Ryan received the very prestigious honor of being named a "40 Under 40″ Gays in America by the Advocate Magazine. He also created three successful parties that generated over 1,500 patrons each. In January of 2010 Chris Ryan was featured as one of the top promoters to look out for in Noize Magazine Chris Ryan joined forces with legendary promoter/event producer, Lee Chappell and created one of the most talked about events of all 2010, Desire @ Capitale. Chris Ryan and Lee featured one of the most outstanding artists NYC has ever seen, "Oh Land." Her performance coupled with an exquisite and unforgettable set design added to this extravagant event that held over 1,000 patrons in one of NYC's most successful PRIDE events! Chris Ryan then joined forces with legendary Pacha promoter, Rob Fernandez in addition to Jake Resnicow and Tommy Marinelli to bring one of the largest and most successful parties worldwide to NYC, MATINEE. The event on Governor's Island saw over 2,000+ attendees and one of the most ambitious productions ever.In 2011 Chris Ryan started Emerge Music Promotions with business partner Darren Melchiorre. Emerge Music promotions began signing artists with plans to develop and market the artists to the community at large. Emerge Music promotions has big events planned for 2012 and 2013. Chris Ryan debuted the IMAGE events which took place on top of two of NYC's most beautiful rooftop venues, Rare View and Indigo Hotel. The events were blogged everywhere and featured the fashion designs of several clothing designers, artists and photographers. Chris Ryan felt that fashion and art should be displayed at every event and attracted the likes of Malan Breton, Calvin Klein and even Katy Perry. Chris Ryan began an extremely successful event which incorporated the concept of a house party into a nightclub atmosphere. The event Twist'D at G Lounge has been one of the most talked about events in NYC and allows it's audience to play nearly-naked Twister, beer pong, flip cup & more with other attendees. Chris Ryan was granted an excellence in volunteering award from AVP (Anti-Violence Project) for all his efforts in supporting the organization.2013 has a very promising landscape on the horizon and Chris Ryan is complacent in saying "you haven't seen anything yet!"

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.