This writer didn't manage to jump in at the ground floor with DREAMFIELD'S debut single "Take Me With You", but "Christopher's Dream" - that single's erstwhile, ultra-spooked follow up - is as memorable a first snog as you could hope for.
Just to set the scene a little, DREAMFIELD consist of songwriters Poppy Gonzalez (ex-MOJAVE 3/ SING-SING) and Greg McKella, plus vocalist Amy Tucker, formerly of Boston, Mass. acapella outfit THE WHIMS. They're based in Brighton and have an unerring knack for plying dub-by grooves with the sweetest of vocal nectar, though there's a distinctly noir-ish air of intrigue simmering beneath the surface here which ensures the plot never goes off the boil.
Certainly, "Christopher's Dream" isn't a million miles away from the early Portishead gear. It's wrapped up in scratching, some very John Barry -ish twangy guitar figures and what sounds like treated, drifting sax, but hell - when music's this good and seductive, who cares, especially when it's so evocative and emotional. "Christopher's Dream" undoubtedly is, and the band's own suggestion that it's a great headphone listen also rings true. This is cool stuff to drift into your own space with.
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The rest of the package is equally gripping. Second track "Alive" reinforces the potent air of mystery, while - for a change with these things - the two (very different) re-mixes of "Christopher's Dream" are actually worth the time of day. The 'Dark Mix' (with input from DODGY'S DJ 'H') is arguably my favourite as it ups the drifting, floaty ante with hefty dollops of King Tubby-style dub catching in the undertow, though the disco cut-ups, Japanese warrior samples and dark Junglist hybrids proffered by the Anime mix are coming up on the rails.
DREAMFIELD, then, are a bloody smart trio with both talent to burn and the kind of creative, independent attitude of which we will always heartily approve.
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