SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LUCY DREAMS – VVVVV

LUCY DREAMS
VVVVV
SONICWAVEARTPOP

Lucy Dreams is a ‘trio’ from Vienna. The trio consists of two humans, Zero and One, and the third member is artificial, a musical computer if you will. The three members have been releasing music for a couple of years, and VVVVV is their first complete album since 2024’s Götterfunken. During the last couple of years, they have released a number of very successful singles (some of which are included on this album), so VVVVV is sure to be greeted enthusiastically by their fans. They might even find new humans (and maybe machines) to enjoy their unique and original music.

VVVVV is an electronic prog rock album. It is a concept album, dealing with the human race being propelled into the fifth dimension. Since I failed physics a number of times, I am not going to try to explain the fifth dimension, except to say that it exists outside of the material. So, VVVVV is futuristic in title and music. And it is, in one word, brilliant.

On VVVVV, Lucy Dreams lean toward more conventional songs. However, there really is nothing conventional about the album. The band experimented with sound and expanded the idea of a song. The songs are less structured at times, and they tend to take the listener in directions that were not expected.

SPILL FEATURE: LET ME SHOW YOU THE CODE TO MY MIND – A CONVERSATION WITH ZERO OF LUCY DREAMS

Songs like “Stars” and “Not Gonna Lie” sound like electronic dance/pop music, but listen carefully, there is a lot going on in the songs and the layered sounds add depth to the music and the lyrics. As Bob Dylan once wrote, “something’s going on, but you don’t know what it is.” That sums up VVVVV. Although the band utilizes current (and old) technology, the album is also a stark warning about technology controlling the universe. “Code To My Mind (Master’s Cut)” is clear with lyrics such as “Mother, are you real, Father, won’t you go out and see/Where we’re going, why we’re glowing?”

But it is not all doom and gloom. There is hope, a potential for all to exist peacefully. The closing song, “Be Here Now” observes “I see light as the day breaks, the sun in your eyes.” The album does end on a more hopeful note but not entirely. And that is the beauty of VVVVV, there is a lot to discover.

Lucy Dreams have come up with a brilliant, thought provoking and enjoyable album. VVVVV is full of lush, overflowing sounds wrapping around incredible melodies and sometimes jarring lyrics. They channel in Alan Parsons Project and Pet Shop Boys and the end result is Lucy Dreams. Their own sound, their own path, their own world.

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