A large part of rock's pleasures come from the artful buildup of tension and its subsequent, joyful release. Impeccable Los Angeles guitar band the Dream Syndicate had mastered this dramatic formula so well by the time of this, their debut long player, that they soon abandoned it in favor of much less satisfying attempts at subtlety. The Dream Syndicate were heralded in their day as part of the neo-psychedelic Paisley Underground scene. But they had more in common with New York's Television (for mighty guitar-interplay rave-ups) or poetic punk bands like X and the Flesh Eaters (for dark-side-of-the-street, edgy subject matter). Sure, Steve Wynn and mates were also influenced by the Velvets, Neil Young, and the Doors. But the coolest thing they did was to graft the slashing, jagged, jammy guitar lines and drowsy sexuality from the best classic rock with the fast-paced and ironic, devil-may-care sensibility of postmodern punk--a sound that years later would be called indie rock. --Mike McGonigal
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