Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
To sleep perhaps to dream, the wish of all those who seek sanctuary within the arms of Morpheus, the landscape of the weird and the wonderful, the sway of the song in our head that can move mountains or cause enraged foaming oceans to become still and tranquil; to dream is what separates us from ourselves and if 74is good it can set up the day in the land of living to one where the oceans remain still from start to finish.
It is in The Dream that soundscapes are explored and utilised to their potential, it is in The Dream that Tashaki Miyaki come out from the shadows and show in their debut album that to develop upon one’s opening horizons is to take the vision on one stage further, to have the goal of crossing an ocean to see what lays beyond very seriously.
It is always a pleasant surprise to be able to swim in the thoughts of a vocalist who just sees the music as extension of life, that it does not have to be complicated nor brutal, it doesn’t require anything more than trust and a sound that gently rock you into a beautiful submission and at the same time make your mind race with the possibilities, that The Dream can do this is to be applauded and for Paige Stark, the maestro who evokes such images of colour, of illusion made real, the dream is arguably a creature whose own sentience is unquestioned.
This blossoming luxury offered by Tashaki Miyaki is the open sky enhanced by warm rain, the songs, including Girls on TV, Anyone But You and Facts of Life, are the flowers you see springing up from their winter slumber , poking their heads above the remains of frost and the cold icy stares and who now relish their moment in the glorious sunshine beating down; the dream may not be real, it may be seen as escapism, however in many respects to dream is the most human of all experiences, it takes us back to a more natural feel in life and it is one fully realised by Tashaki Miyaki.
Tashaki Miyaki’s The Dream is released on April 7th.
Ian D. Hall