This month’s digital download is an album that was originally released on CD ten years ago… “The Dreamshire Chronicles” is a double album containing a wonderful variety of vocal and instrumental tracks.
As usual, along with the album’s artwork, the download comes with Bill‘s listening notes that were prepared for the album.
“The Dreamshire Chronicles is richly blessed with golden and beautifully artificial orchestras. The whole kit n’ imaginary caboodle! It also has warped blues guitars, sublime jazz guitars, ambient keyboards, broken beats, ethereal loops, haunted lyrics and oblique arrangements. It’s not in the least ‘experimental’, as I know exactly what I’m doing with it…but it will challenge anyone who thinks a few synth bleeps equals adventure. This is adult music and not a throwback to ’80s big-shoulder, analogue fashion, or ’70s rock guitar macho chest-beating histrionics. It will confuse the bejesus out of anyone expecting the obvious pop ‘avant-garde’ signifiers. (At least, that’s what I’m hoping for…)
If there was to be such a thing as a Bill Nelson ‘steampunk’ album, The Dreamshire Chronicles might well qualify. There’s something antiquated, rustic yet futuristic about this one, a kind of neo-Victorian rock n’ roll, steam-powered guitar amps and Tesla-coil keyboards coupled with a symphony orchestra staffed by women in long leather dresses and tall hats. Patinated copper pipe flutes and oboes, drums fashioned from old stoves and railway engine boilers, guitars that resemble a cross between crystal sets and concert harps. Everything lit by candlelight.” – Bill Nelson
Tracklist:
01. Prelude: The Night Is Lit By Diamonds 02:44
02. Welcome To Dreamshire (Monitor Mix) 03:33
3. The Pleasure Boaters 01:35
4. This Everyday World 03:44
5. Rainboy And Whistledog 05:49
6. Young Marvelman 02:39
7. Garden Railway 02:34
8. The Shimmering Threshold (On Your Bike Emperor Ming) 05:22
9. Evening Star Electric Park 08:45
10. Sailing To The Moon 02:11
11. The Milky Way (Burning Bright) 02:49
12. The Sparkling Idea 03:27
13. Ghosts Wind The Parlour Clock 01:20
14. Spooky Little Thing 02:47
15. Now I Come To Think Of It 03:32
16. Spinning Pentagrams 04:53
17. The Ruins Of Youth, The Twang Of Tomorrow 01:49
18. The Reality Of Imagination 05:32
19. Smoke Drifts Silent In Autumn Air 05:27
20. Bubbledreamer 03:40
21. My Little Book Of Secret Knowledge 02:58
22. Robots On Parade 02:58
23. Dark And Complicated 03:26
24. Blue Beams 02:44
25. More Than Glory, More Than Gold 03:26
26. The Lost Planet Of Sunday Afternoon 01:38
27. Mass Equals Energy 02:10
28. The Light Gathering Garden Of Omar Kadiz 03:26
29. Windsong Of The Flying Boy 04:10
30. Henrietta Through The Looking Glass 04:42
31. Luna On The Beach 03:21
32. Neither Puck Nor Pan 06:37
33. Welcome To Dreamshire (Luxe Mix) 03:33
34. This Everyday World (Instrumental Version) 03:59