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They\u2019re not afraid to list their influences: Todd Rundgren, Jellyfish, Yes, King Crimson<\/strong>. Put another way, the members of Miami, Florida-based Dreaming in Stereo<\/strong> dig precisely-crafted yet challenging music. They like ear candy that hold up to careful listening. Better yet, they craft music that aims for \u2013 and largely meets \u2013 those lofty standards.<\/p>\nThe group\u2019s second long player is called 2<\/em>, and it features mid-tempo songs that are carefully (but not fussily) arranged. The songs put Fernando Perdomo<\/strong>\u2019s clear, expressive voice right out front. In addition to the standard rock combo lineup of instruments, Dreaming in Stereo makes effective use of strings in many of their arrangements.<\/p>\n Song construction employs plenty of dynamics, but never to the point of calling attention to the craft. Rather than pointing out similarities to the Grays<\/strong>, it\u2019s perhaps more useful to observe that Dreaming in Stereo seem to draw upon the same wellspring of inspiration that informed the music of Jon Brion<\/strong> and Jason Falkner<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Lovers of the three-minute pop idiom, Dreaming in Stereo largely confine their songs to that framework; only four of 2<\/em>\u2019s thirteen tracks extend much beyond 180 seconds. And the three-minute limit is a double-edged sword: you\u2019ve got to make your point quickly enough to get it across, but you can\u2019t overstuff the song. One or two good ideas is about the limit.<\/p>\n Dreaming in Stereo delivers those ideas to listeners. A track like \u201cGonna Sleep Until Tomorrow\u201d (which, as it happens, is one of the longer tracks) unfolds with a lovely, soaring instrumental section. But rather than being some prog side-excursion, it\u2019s just a well-executed restatement of the vocal part of the song. Like many of the songs on 2<\/em>, the hook is restated until it burrows into the listeners\u2019 consciousness. But it never overstays its visit.<\/p>\n The songs never quite get into harder rocking territory a la Cheap Trick<\/strong>. There\u2019s a more baroque and refined sensibility to the album\u2019s songs. The brief instrumental \u201cGoodwill\u201d is a prime example of this: its aesthetic is closer to The Left Banke<\/strong> than The Who<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The vaguely spooky (and lyrically spartan) \u201cOpen the Door\u201d sounds like a late 70s John Lennon<\/strong> demo overdubbed by Teenage Fanclub<\/strong> with Emitt Rhodes<\/strong> producing. A seeming hallmark of the band\u2019s writing style is to keep lyrics to a minimum. They\u2019re not Ramones<\/strong> or (god forbid) Silver Convention<\/strong>, but neither are they Bob Dylan<\/strong>. Most songs have a fairly short set of lyrics.<\/p>\n Perdomo cedes lead vocal duties to honey-voiced Marisol Garci<\/strong>a on the acoustic \u201cWithout You\u201d (an original song, not a Badfinger<\/strong> cover) and the melodramatic \u201cSaturday Song.\u201d The wonderfully wistful and anthemic \u201cStanding Still (While the World Goes Around)\u201d sports an arrangement that — especially thanks to the drumming style and the violin overdubs \u2013 is highly reminiscent of Electric Light Orchestra<\/strong> and Klaatu<\/strong>.<\/p>\n They\u2019re all good-to-very-good songs. But the real gem among gems is \u201cMusic All Around Me (Dudley Moore\u2019s Last Words).\u201d With a guitar lick straight out of the George Harrison<\/strong> playbook, the majestic ballad unfolds slowly. Its bittersweet lyric is wedded to a arrangement worthy of Jeff Lynne<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In the end, it\u2019s as simple as this: listeners who nod approvingly at any of the artists (except Silver Convention!) name-checked on the preceding 400-plus words would do well to check out Dreaming in Stereo<\/em>\u2019s 2.<\/p>\n
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