Shut Up I Am Dreaming

Sunset Rubdown (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 2, 2006)
• Original Release Date: May 2, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Absolutely Kosher
• ASIN: B000F8DB9E
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #45,487 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Sunset Rubdown’s music is lo-fi, shell-shocked, dissonant, and very reminiscent of David Bowie/Brian Eno’s post-apocalypse fixation, circa Station to Station. The images and music that singer Spencer Krug has put to tape tell of futility and disconnectedness through his warbled, pained singing--a style that almost distracts too much from the music. It's similar to the way that Conor Oberst's rawness sometimes overwhelms Bright Eyes. However, there are standouts like "I'm Sorry That I Sang on Your Hands That Have Been in the Grave," where a weirdly gorgeous meditation over a click-track coughs up a glimmering loneliness. On "The Men Are Called Horsemen There" glam and drama are dialed all the way up and mixed with a heavy Spectorian wall of sound. "Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings" swirls with tension, then opens into an '80s New-Romantic sad dance party. Employing unusual instruments, off-kilter arrangements, and an all-around herky-jerky feel, the album is intriguing and unsettling, not unlike Krug’s other projects, Frog Eyes and Wolf Parade. --Gabi Knight

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rivals the Arcade Fire's "Funeral" in terms of beauty, January 8, 2007

By	Shane Carpenter "sh6ne" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Simply put, this is a beautiful album. For the longest time, the Arcade Fire's "Funeral" stood on its own as the most beautiful album in my collection. Sure, many albums have beautiful songs - even several beautiful songs, but no albums until "Shut up I Am Dreaming" have struck me as comparable to "Funeral", and that's saying a lot.

I'd now like to address the spotlight reviewer. Musicans/ artists (esp. good ones) create from their heart. Sometimes a lot of people like their contribution and they are recognized i.e., fame, and sometimes their contribution never catches on. However, it is insulting to insinuate that this is "music for the scenesters" like spencer championed them as his key demographic. I am 26 and far from a scenester kid, yet I enjoy this music very much. It's like insinuating that pink floyd made music for drug users. The fact that scenesters may (or may not) like this album is just a side-effect; scenesters weren't the impetus for its creation.

This is an album for anyone that appreciates a beautiful piece of work, be it a scenester, a stoner, or a conservative, etc.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My top release of 2006, December 21, 2006

By	Ivar Zeile "+ gallery" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I cannot state more emphatically that Sunset Rubdowns album is my pick for album of the year, not just for how surprisingly good it is to anyone that enjoyed Wolf Parade's incredible debut but because it is simply inspiring from start to finish. As a whole this is the most delightful kind of album, the one you wish everyone's side-band would put out to keep the enthusiasm going. The fact that it will remain under almost everyone's radar is not entirely bad, as it leaves it open for discovery many, many years down the road.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than a side project..., March 26, 2007

By	Luke M. Schierholz "Morning Magician" (Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found out about this group the same way that many others most likely have: I listened to Wolf Parade, wanted more and realized that singer/songwriter/keyboardist Spencer Krug had another band.

That band is Sunset Rubdown and while it is quite different than Wolf Parade (it's softer and more musically sparse), it still contains the unmistakeable love-or-hate vocals that Krug supplies for both groups. But if you loved Krug's somewhat-strained delivery on Wolf Parade's Apologies to the Queen Mary then you'll likely enjoy this side project of his.

The album does need quite a few listens for it to really grow on you but I instantly loved such tracks as "Us Ones In Between" with it's cryptic and poetic lyrics and it's simple piano melody. "I'm Sorry I Sang On Your Hands That Have Been in the Grave" has a wonderfully eerie, carnival-like, music-box esque charm to it that makes it stand out from the rest of the album. And finally, "The Men Are Called Horsemen There" and "Snakes Got a Leg III" give the album its most musically intense moments.

I have to mention that Sunset Rubdown also has an LP and an EP that were released prior to this. I absolutely love the EP. I highly recommend trying to find it and if you do - buy it! It has 5 tracks and they are all fantastic. I especially love "Three Colours". While "A Day in the Graveyard" parts I and II are probably the two best songs written and recorded by the band.