Review Summary: At times underwhelming, but always interesting, "Dream's End Come True" is a fine addition to World's End Girlfriend repertoire.
World's End Girlfriend is a mysterious band. Well,I should refrain from saying band, but instead, man. WEG is actually one man named Katsuhiko Maeda. A Nagasaki native, Maeda is fairly well known in his native country of Japan. His work was used in the popular film "Air Doll," and he has a fairly large and incredibly loyal fan base. He's an incredibly busy man also, performing in Europe, Asian, and Australia. But he keeps himself shrouded in mystery by not giving interviews, and masking his online profile. After nine albums, Maeda has solidified himself as a musical force. Well, how does his fourth effort hold up?
World's End Girlfriend is an interesting organism. Maeda could best be described as a neo-classical post-rock musician, with heavy emphasis on electronica. That being said, that statement reversed could also describe his music. Almost always full of strings and keyboards, Maeda can make some breath taking music. "Dream's End Come True" certainly has its fair share of breath taking moments.
Compared to the rest of his discography, "Dream's End Come True" settles somewhere in the middle. While it does see him at his most experimental, it hits a few bumps along the way. Mainly these issues lie in the songs and their overall structure. The album consists of only four songs, each with varying length, with "All Imperfect Love Song" lasting 25 min. Too often Maeda is willing to dissolve into a series of strange bleeps an blips without melody. It comes off a little noisy. While this is an electronica album, these segments just seem to come off as filler. More meaningful or better planned passages in these songs would have really added a lot to the overall presentation. The whole affair just seems weaker in comparison to everything else he has done.
While "Dream's End Come True" is underwhelming in some aspects, it still has a great atmosphere with loads of personality and beauty. "Singing Under the Rainbow" sees Maeda utilizing his electronica elements more thoughtfully than in other songs. The strings and piano mesh wonderfully with the rest of the elements, creating a truly absorbing atmosphere. But it is the massive "All Imperfect Love Song" that really takes the cake. At 25 min. in length, the song is as beautiful as it is chaotic and intense. Strings mix with piano, constantly changing tempos. Its never boring, and each aspect is pure genius.
World's End Girlfriend is a force in the music world. Consistently interesting, Maeda never ceases to stir up some intrigue. While "Dream's End Come True" doesn't hit as hard as the rest of his discography, it is certainly a worthwhile listen none the less.
