Dream Life＜Colored Vinyl＞

Since her days as a dedicated jazz vocalist, Italys Marta Del Grandi has modified her sophisticated singer/songwriter art pop over time, from the delicately textured, mythology-themed Until We Fossilize, to the more personal, structurally fortified Selva, to this, her third solo LP. Produced by Del Grandi and Selvas Bert Vliegen, Dream Life embraces a more pop-forward, sometimes even danceable sound for lyrics that process dreams and disillusionment. One of the more foot-tapping entries is the title track, which starts with gentle guitar strums behind lines like "You say Ive been making up stories" before launching into a more uptempo bass groove with lighthearted drum kit and woodblock accompaniment for the chorus that goes in and out of dreams and reality. With its horns and funky, gurgling guitar interjections, the more angular "Antartica" whimsically evokes David Byrne as she contemplates the melting glaciers and possible migration. The calmer and trippier "Alpha Centauri" examines nature and ones sense of self ("The feeling that we would become someone/In spite of being wronged and deceived by our peers and the whole universe"), whereas the jittery, art-punky "Neon Lights" breaks out metal-style guitar distortion in unison with vocals during segments that contrast lithe, melodic ones. With its ghostly vocals, ominous melody, and implied rain-drenched nighttime setting, "Some Days" features Fenne Kuppens of Belgiums Whispering Sons. Even on these darker tracks, Dream Life feels playful and ironic, if also poignant, and when she ends the album on the sweetly harmonic, quasi-a cappella "Oh My Father," which asks questions like "Am I too old to be so sad and lost?" and "Did I become the one you hoped I would?," it functions as an earnest coda -- a clear-eyed waking moment. ~ Marcy Donelson