I want to say first off that these kids are not a Senses Fail ripoff. I've heard that so many times now and it's gotten quite irratating, because they honestly sound nothing like them, lyrically or musically. While the name is similiar to a Senses Fail song title, thats pretty much where the similarities end. Dreams of Reality are a 5 piece tightly knit band from Palmdale CA and they are quite young too. Musically, they remind me of The Bled with some more poppier riffs. Vocally, Irving sounds like a mix of Kenny from The Starting Line and the lead singer of My American Heart (I believe his name is Larry?). So now that you've been properly introduced, lets get to know them a little better.
The first track of the album is 'Couldn't Stop Me If You Wanted To'. The song starts out with a little guitar riff that repeats through a good part of the song and some pounding double bass pedal drumwork that you'll hear alot through this album. Irving's vocals come in a little weak to start, but do get better through the song. Towards the end there is a nice hardcore breakdown (which like I mentioned earlier is very similiar to the Bled's breakdowns, which are just amazing). And I think this is where the vocals really shine in the song, and I really like the 'Oh Darling, Oh Darling's, they are a nice break from the lyrics you hear in most of the post-hardcore scene. Track two, 'In The Event That A Tragedy Does Occur' is very similiar to My American Heart's music. The progression of the song in harmony with the vocals give a very similiar feel to that of that other Southern Californian band. The song is a nice moderately paced post-hardcore/rock song that ends with some either ambulence or police sirens (I believe ambulance). Track three, the title track of the cd, 'The Sirens Were Safety And I Wasn't Listening' is my favorite on the album. While similiar to the other songs musically, this song shines lyrically. 'Surgeon, surgeon tear me apart, cold mechanics that never worked, for waiting as I fall apart'. Once again, while similiar to the other post-hardcore stuff out there, these guys take a somewhat different direction lyrically that I think really works for them. This song also has a softer breakdown in it where the chorus repeats and slows down to almost nothing where Irving shows off his vocal prowess right before the song builds right back into the full band rocking out. Definately my favorite on the album. We'll skip to track five, which shows some more diversity of the band musically. This song has the most pop riffs and chugging guitars that just move the song along perfectly. Definately a welcome change to the album, since the first few songs seem so similiar musically. The final track, 'Even In The Front Lines, The Lies Only Made You Worth It', I'm going to have to give to the drummer Ivan. This kid has so much talent and it really shows in this song, and pretty much drowns everything else out, except for Irving's vocals once again. He takes a different style to his singing and shows off his almost ballad like singing laced over some amazing drumwork. It's a perfect mix of some pop-vocals and hardcore beats. Absolutely stunning, I'd love to see what these guys could do with a piano based or acoustic song, I think that they would do a great job on it with the way the vocals are done on this song.
In conclusion, these kids are obviously doing what they love, and their love for it shows in their music. I think the tracks were organized a little poorly, because by the fourth song, you almost get tired of the same sound, but the last two tracks really redeem it. I don't think they're really doing anything groundbreaking, but for what they're doing, they're doing a great job of it, and I think have the ability to make a good name for themselves in the current music scene. I'd recommend them to anyone who likes hardcore music, but doesn't really care for the screaming that goes along with it. The smooth vocals really make this cd appealing to anyone who likes fast moving music but doesnt like things too intense. I highly recommend it to fans of My American Heart and A Thorn For Every Heart as they sound very similiar to those two bands. One nice thing about this cd compared to those two, is it's replayability. The occasional pop riffs that Dreams of Reality use give it just enough catch to want you to put in back in your cd player over and over again.
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