Album Title: Dreamland
Artist: Glass Animals
Record Label: Wolf Tone Records, Polydor Records, Republic Records
Release Date: August 7, 2020
Genre: Indie, Pop
Format: Music Album
Length: 16 tracks /45 mins, 24 seconds
Reading Level/Interest Level: N/A
Awards or Honors
Grammy Awards Nomination: Best New Artist (2022)
Brit Awards Nomination: Best British Rock Act and “Heat Waves” Best British Single (2022)
Album Description
Dreamland is an autobiographical album made up of 16 songs that were almost all written and produced by Dave Bayley, the band’s lead singer and frontman (Dreamland, 2022). With a dreamy style befitting of the name, each song is a mesh of genres with synth beats, overlaid with lyrics that invoke nostalgia for the 90s. Completing the nostalgic theme of the album are four tracks titled “home movie” that are recordings of Dave’s mother from his childhood (Kennedy, 2022). The songs on this album encapsulate Dave’s childhood and adolescence in the 90s and early 2000s, with stories about memories of past friendships, playing video games, watching movies, first love, and toxic relationships.
Artist Background
Glass Animals is a British indie-pop band that was established in 2010. The group is made up of four members: Dave Bayley (vocals/frontman), Joe Seaward (drums), Edmund Irwin-Singer (bass guitar/keyboard/backing vocals), and Drew MacFarlane (guitar/keyboard/backing vocals) (Glass Animals, 2022). They met at the age of 13 in secondary school, living in Oxford before officially becoming a band in 2010 (Bartleet, 2016). They have released 3 albums together, including Zaba (2014), How to Be a Human Being (2016), and Dreamland (2020) (Glass Animals, 2022).
Critical Evaluation
It is incredibly difficult to describe this album because it truly does not fit into a single genre. Each song is unique but also fits together with the scheme of the album in a way that shouldn’t work, but absolutely does. I have to admit that I have come full circle with this album: I started out not really liking it or understanding it, but after researching the story behind it and reading more of the lyrics, I came to really appreciate the narrative and detail that went into every element. It’s a quick, cohesive listen that can work as the backdrop to hanging out with friends, studying, or as an in-depth activity where you analyze each word. As a kid of the 90s, I loved all the throwbacks to pop culture (Mr. Miyagi, Nintendo 64, and Friends, to name a few) but I can see how this album would still appeal to today’s teens. The melodies are incredibly catchy and the lyrics are a mix of really deep and casually fun.
There is quite a bit of depth to this album that I didn’t catch as I was listening, so I think a lot of things might go over some listeners’ heads. The concept behind Dreamland came after drummer Joe Seaward got in a horrible bike accident in 2018 and almost lost his life. Dave Bayley spent a great deal of time in the hospital with Joe as he was recovering, and explained how hospitals can invoke nostalgia. He cycled through a lot of memories while he was there that were later translated into the album (Kennedy, 2022). This album was also recorded and released during the pandemic, which is a huge feat in itself that I think is admirable.
Creative Use for a Library Program
Invite teens to create mood boards with memories from their own lives, reminiscent of the nostalgia found in the album Dreamland. The boards can be digital, using technology that might be found in library’s makerspaces, or physical boards with clippings from magazines and photos to give them an old-school aesthetic.
Speed-Round Table Talk
Travel back to the 90s with the spacey, pop album all about nostalgia and memories. Dreamland by Glass Animals is an exploration of the past through narrative lyrics and synthetic beats that will transport listeners to a specific time and place. An album truly unlike any other, fans of moody aesthetics and detailed lyrics won’t want to wait to be taken to Dreamland.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation
I don’t believe the ALA tracks challenges to music albums, so there have been no recorded challenges of this item. There are five tracks on this album labeled as “explicit,” so parents should keep that in mind when determining if this item is appropriate for their teen. There are also some dark themes in the album, such as domestic abuse and school shootings, but these do coincide with the explicit tracks so they would be easy to avoid. Despite these issues, I do still feel strongly that this album would be integral to rounding out a collection due to its invocation of memories and beautiful lyricism.
Reason for Inclusion
I went back and forth a lot on whether or not I would include this album, mainly because I couldn’t decide if I liked it and didn’t really “get it” at first. This is definitely one that needs multiple listens, but once you really get in the zone with the music style and the depth behind the lyrics, it will be one you’ll want to add to every playlist. Also, unrelated to the quality of the album, their website is absolutely incredible and I recommend everyone check it out: https://opensource.glassanimals.com/
References
Arndt, E. (2022). Glass Animals [Image]. Grammy Awards. https://www.grammy.com/news/glass-animals-heat-waves-dreamland-interview-video-2022-grammys-meet-first-time-nominee
Bartleet, L. (2016, August 18). Nine things you should know about Glass Animals. NME. https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/nine-things-you-should-know-about-glass-animals-4108
Coikoi1. (2021, November 15). #digitalart #dreamland #glass animals [Image]. Tumblr. https://coikoi1.tumblr.com/post/667956117804089344
Doctorletmebebrave. (2020, June 13). Dreamland - Glass Animals [Image]. Tumblr. https://doctorletmebebrave.tumblr.com/post/620868598286761984/dreamland-glass-animals-theres-an-aesthetic
Dreamland (Glass Animals album). (2022, March 26). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dreamland_(Glass_Animals_album)&oldid=1079417124
Glass Animals. (2020). Dreamland [Album Cover]. Wolf Tone Records. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Dreamland-Glass-Animals/dp/B086PNWWQL
Glass Animals. (2020, June 29). Glass Animals - Heat Waves (official video) [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRD0-GxqHVo&t=227s
Glass Animals. (2022, May 6). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Glass_Animals&oldid=1086457438
Kennedy, M. (2022, January 3). Glass Animals ride the slow-burning ‘heat waves’ to Grammys. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/glass-animals-ride-slow-burning-heat-waves-grammys-82053576
Lillywater-stims. (2022, February 4). Dreamland (album) by the Glass Animals stimboard [Image]. Tumblr. https://lillywater-stims.tumblr.com/post/675244797507911680/dreamland-album-by-the-glass-animals
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