Rating: NNNN
English musician Harvey Bassett (aka DJ Harvey) has earned a rep as the DJ world’s answer to Keith Richards. Whatever the genre – punk, Balearic, weirdo disco, house – he serves it up with an aura of greasily mustachioed sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll hedonism.
Wildest Dreams is a psychedelic rock album in the vein of such classic British acts as Cream and Pink Floyd, but tuned for a hallucinatory road trip along southern California freeways. One track is named after an interstate – 405 – and the cover sleeve nods to Randy California’s 1972 psych obscurity Kapt. Kopter And The (Fabulous) Twirly Birds.
The album alternates between punchy songs with summery subject matter (Rollerskates, She Loves Me Not) that he belts like a 60s pop heartthrob and beautifully realized instrumentals (Last Ride, Pleasure Swell) that pay tribute to the Doors’ swaying keyboard solos and groovy diversions. It works as an homage but also as a reminder that specific eras, places, styles and sounds can live on as a state of mind.
Top track: Pleasure Swell
