As always, a small word about the artwork. It’s not as elaborate as some of the records you’ll see this year but understated works for this band. The light blue/white combo is very peaceful and matches the record perfectly. Alrighty, onto the song by song review.
Friday Night Dream starts us off with a gentle pulsating beat, a rewound sounding loop, and elegant strings in this floating, “put me to sleep now, I must dream” kind of song. Short, but it’s the intro to the larger album. I’m so glad it’s actually an album and not a collection of songs.
Funny Girl is where we start to get some energy. Imagine driving through Atlanta at 2 a.m., lights speeding by and the night is still young. Or Tron 2 with lyrics. But it’s better than that. There’s the guitar effects I’m a sucker for (the chiming, soaring, yet understated ones). The beat’s something you can sway to, not dance to.
Just 4 Kix begins as a summer dream sort of song. The vocals and music seem so far away. “Forgive and forget.” A lovelorn, dreamy half-spoken ode to loving someone who is completely oblivious to it. And to make it worse, the small town makes it impossible to not run into said crush. Dissolves into array of jarring sounds.
Baby Blue. Slow jam. Drifting. Nothing really stands out here but I honestly don’t think it’s supposed to.
I’m Here (But It’s Not Me) Smooth with a nice upfront bass loop running. I’m usually not a fan of electronic drums but here they work for the song. I haven’t really gotten into the lyrics at this point, mainly because they mesh so well with the background melodies that I don’t notice them. “I want to be free/I’m here but it’s not me.” Okay, well, that part sticks out.
Ballerina It’s a robot! Oh snap! I’m not quite sure how I feel about robot vocals. It sounds strange and foreign but I suppose that’s the point. What better to sing about beauty and grace and movement than something that has none? A really great song though. Quickly becoming my favorite.
Saturday Night Dream Not quite the bridge between songs I was hoping for considering the dancey number before it but I suppose every wild night needs a peaceful dream sequence?
High God, who played percussion on this? Seriously, it’s really nice work.
Be My Only Shallow Love Not bad. The beat stands out most on this track but otherwise, it’s a less awesome “I’m Here.”
Going Home Very Sigur Ros in the beginning but then falls back into the chanting over swooning loops again. Fortunately, a bit more instrumentation kicks in to keep “Going Home” from dragging. It took awhile to grow on me but it’s solid.
Sunday Night Dream Another between noisey/dreamy piece.
Unplug Me Return of the robot voice but by now I’ve come to like it. I love how this one ends, though. A good end to a good album.
Overall, I’d give Weekends a 7 out of 10. There were times when I felt more bored than relaxed but they quickly passed. A few more tunes like “Ballerina” wouldn’t have hurt but the album fits together well. Recommended for a night when you can’t sleep and lights dance in front of your eyes.
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