Whether intentionally or not, the title of Loaded Dreams' debut EP, "In It But Not of It," characterizes the music's relationship to its genre. While it's indie rock, it transcends the genre by going beyond traditional instrumentation. For example, it uses samples well, like the chirping birds that open one song. The music also features a viola, which adds a dawning eeriness to the regular lineup of drums, bass and guitar.
Lynda Kady, the lead vocalist, has a delicious voice. Her lyrics play with topics like desire ; in "Collide," she sings: "You ran your fingers all through my soul/real fast and then you let go/You wedged your back between my heart and my breast/you pushed away, without a rest." Her voice drifts over the words, manipulating them with an ethereal strangeness.
Kady's voice is the perfect complement to the band's sound. Gene Young Park '98, on guitars, viola and sampler, describes the music as a melange of '80s pop influences such as Blondie and "shoe-gazer" indie rock like Mazzy Star, Lush, Yo La Tengo and My Bloody Valentine. "It's what we grew up with," he notes.
Park had always wanted to start a band. Loaded Dreams began with just Park and Kady recording a few songs at home and distributing demos during late 2000 and early 2001 in Brooklyn. As good reports circled, Nicholas Van Amburg '99 jumped on board as the bassist shortly after leaving another band.
Not long after, Gene asked another Dartmouth friend, Joseph Nagraj '98, to lend a hand on guitar. Van Amburg and Nagraj were good acquaintances as well, having played together in a band during their Dartmouth years called Stand Up 8. Robert Williams rounded out the band as the drummer a short time later.
The band played their first performance at the end of June 2001 and have continued to play a number of increasingly popular clubs throughout the New York City area. In September 2002, Nagraj bid the band farewell and was replaced by Gabriel Berezin.
Though "In It But Not of It" does sample quite a bit, the music is far from digital -- more similar to albums like The Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper" than a lot of Loaded Dreams' contemporaries. Because the album restrains itself from excessive tweaks and effects, it ends up with a cleaner sound. As a result, the sampling, when employed, is noticeable.
"Elsa," probably the best track on the album, starts off with a catchy guitar riff and unfolds as a well-developed rock song with a solid melody. The somewhat obtuse lyrics seem to be directed toward a drug addict named Elsa, whom the narrator tries to save but ultimately fails: "This world won't hold you up, no, Elsa/This time won't float you up, no, Elsa/That line won't pull you up, hey Elsa/is he really gonna shoot you up?"
The album is an overall success, but the band obviously still has a long way to go in developing a distinct musical identity. Although it remains to be seen whether Loaded Dreams' ambitions of rock success will come true, some of the essential elements of good music are there -- creativity and talent along with a great sound.
