Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions

You wouldnt expect the Dream Syndicate to begin an album with half a minute of abstract, plinky synth sounds straight out of the mid-70s, but upending expectations has been business as usual for the band since Steve Wynn relaunched them in 2012. Theyve gone out of their way to forge a new identity that isnt beholden to their past, and 2022s Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions is the fourth studio album from the second run of the Dream Syndicate. They also made four studio LPs in their original 1981-1989 incarnation, which means this edition -- Wynn on vocals and rhythm guitar, Jason Victor on lead guitar, Mark Walton on bass, Chris Cacavas on keyboards, and Dennis Duck on drums -- has now given us a body of work as sizable as what they delivered in their glory days. Its also every bit as imaginative and uncompromising as what they conjured when they were noisy heroes of the paisley underground; Wynn drew on Neu!, Brian Eno, and prog rock as touchstones while writing and recording this music, and the cool, steely minimalism of this music makes room for guitars without depending on six-string fireworks to push this music forward. On Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions, the Dream Syndicate aim for mood and atmosphere rather than showing off their chops, and the performances serve the nuances of the songs without pushing them to places they dont want to do. Wynn has never had a problem delivering a batch of memorable songs, and Ultraviolet Battle Hymns captures ten more tunes worth hearing. The straightforward yet ambitious pulse of "Where Ill Stand," the reverb-laced "The Chronicles of You," and the spare, troubling meditations of "My Lazy Mind" once again remind listeners how good Wynn is at capturing the thoughts of various lost souls. And "Straight Lines" and "Trying to Get Over" show that these folks can rock hard when the stars align. Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions is a reminder the Dream Syndicate have never stopped being a band that plays only by their own rules, and within those boundaries, they know how to win. Lets hope they keep on doing that for a long time to come. ~ Mark Deming