SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ELEPHANT STONE – BACK INTO THE DREAM

ELEPHANT STONE
BACK INTO THE DREAM
LITTLE CLOUD RECORDS

Elephant Stone is Rishi Dhir (vocals/bass/sitar/mellotron), Miles Dupire (drums), Robbie MacArthur (guitar), and Jason Kent (keys/guitar) from Montreal. Since 2009, they have released a number of EPs and five albums. Back Into The Dream is their most recent release and it is a great pop-rock which leans into psychedelia. This is great power pop and does bring to mind all those wonderful early 1980s bands, like Dream Academy, Everything But The Girl and The Pale Fountains. It is like 1960s music through the 1980s time machine into the 2020s.

The music is instantly accessible. Dhir writes strong melodies, and the band provides the perfect harmonies for the songs. From the opening track, “Lost In A Dream”, the music flows effortlessly from one track to the next. “History Repeating” has more of a keyboard and edgier sound and adds another layer to the band. “bae” has a more grunge-meets Cocteau Twins sound, but Dhir cannot help but throw in those wonderful hooks. With this track, the added bonus of very retro synthesizer sounds dots the song and it works perfectly. “Godstar” is an instrumental which makes great use of sitar and mid-1960s classical Indian pop music. It is a beautiful song, perhaps a bit too short but beautiful, nonetheless.

That song leads us to a giant step into psychedelic rock, and it is glorious “The Imajinary, Nameless Everybody In The World” is a wonderful excursion into the mystic, with one foot firmly in 2024. It works beautifully and is a highlight of the album. “The Imajinary, Nameless Everybody In The World” opens the door to the last three tracks, which are more 1960s in their sound and sentiment. “Pilgrimage” and “On Our Own” are beautiful songs, but it is the last track on the album that is a perfect excursion into the 1960s power pop. “Another Year Gone” is absolutely perfect and one can tell that these guys did their homework. Perfect harmonies, wonderful guitar licks and a strong melody. It is a perfect way to end the album.

Lyrically, the album is full of peace and love, personal views, some spirituality, and very embracing. It is nice to hear a bit of optimism in 2024, and this album is full of it. Dhir writes lyrics about soaring, flying and above the ground. All very lovely sentiments and delivered with a great deal of emotion and power.

Back Into The Dream is exactly as the title suggests, images from dreams. It is an extremely dreamy album with strong melodies. This is a very talented band who is able to deliver fresh music which also pays homage to the past.

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