The Dream Syndicate
's 2017 comeback album,
How Did I Find Myself Here?
, was a work that captured the feel of
Steve Wynn
's groundbreaking band of the '80s far more than its sound, with a broad, adventurous approach that pushed their sound far closer to psychedelia that it had gone in their original incarnation. (The "eyeballs over the desert" cover art is also significantly more lysergic than one might expect.) If
Wynn
was hoping to establish a distinct sonic identity for
the Dream Syndicate
in the 21st century, he's certainly stuck to his guns, as 2019's
These Times
is very much of a piece with
, and a very different beast than the band with
Karl Precoda
or
Paul B. Cutler
on lead guitar. Then again, if smart songwriting and a lot of guitar have always been at the root of this group's formula,
more than qualifies, and it's a tighter and more exciting set than
and his bandmates -- guitarist
Jason Victor
, keyboardist
Chris Cacavas
, bassist
Mark Walton
, and drummer
Dennis Duck
-- are better unified and more emphatic here, whether they're laying into the rocking title cut, floating on a cloud of buzzy guitars on "Bullet Holes," dipping into their pop influences on "Recovery Mode," or approximating something like a dance groove on "Black Light." The interplay between
Victor
's leads and
's rhythm guitar is often inspired, with
showing he's more than up to the task of holding his own in a great guitar band, as
Cacavas
accents the performances with style and smarts, and
Walton
and
Duck
lay down an implacable rhythm that's solid and full of life. "The Whole World's Watching" and "Treading Water Underneath the Stars" also confirm that this band can stretch out and explore the nooks and crannies of a tune in a way that's theirs alone and without losing their place en route. Any fan who has been paying attention already knows
aren't going to make another album that sounds like
The Days of Wine and Roses
(they haven't since 1982), and it's foolish to expect that. But they don't really need to when they're capable of making music as good as
; this is passionate and rewarding music from artists still exploring new territory with truly satisfying results. ~ Mark Deming