“I’m awake, I look for you / Running at full speed into your room.”
A few moments can change your life. Especially when it’s your child, and what is happening to your child is something you can’t explain. As the father of a son who deals with epilepsy, my family has become all too acquainted with the uncertainty and fright of such a moment.
Why tell that part of my story here? Because the lead single, “Long Dream,” from Winnipeg, MB art-rock band Yes We Mystic’s “Trust Fall” album (announced as their final album), with its waves of layered synths and lyrics like “tremors and shakes, then stillness and sleep” put to words the unpredictability of life that, in some way, each of us experience at some point. But there is value in articulating the unsettling parts of the experience of life, and the band does that here.
“Long Dream” moves along in a stream-of-consciousness flow, eschewing a verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure. Songwriter/vocalist/producer Adam Fuhr emotes over a musical landscape that insistently builds, to the highlight of the song – a bridge that evokes early Coldplay, particularly as he vamps in a Chris Martin-like falsetto.
To complement the album release (out October 21st, via DevilDuck Records), Yes We Mystic have rolled out an interactive public art project: “The Trust Fall Hotline”. Part 1980s “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, part navigation through a maze of automated bank helpline options, listeners can call 1 (877) 347-5231 (toll-free) to check it out for themselves – and they may or may not learn more about the new album, depending on what numbers they choose at each juncture.
Photo Credit: Ally Gonzalo
Matt Wheeler is a Lancaster County, PA-based singer, songsmith, stage-banter conversationalist, husband, & special-needs father. And an avid vinyl record collector, a purveyor of random facts, & tour-er of Canada (southern Ontario is a favorite destination). Ever since being introduced to Great Lake Swimmers' music through Pandora in about 2009, he has had an appreciation for Canadian music.
Matt's songs & stories, including his classic literature-based project "Wonder of It All," can be found at www.mattwheeleronline.com.
