A Shoreline Dream

I'm sure we'd all like to avoid the consequences of our actions. But we can't. And A Shoreline Dream doesn't avoid anything on this dynamic and engaging release. - PASTE MAGAZINE

A rock'n'roll album this consistent in sonic concept is something of a rarity, at least outside of hardcore punk circles. A Shoreline Dream's debut album could be taken as a one-hour seminar on singer Ryan Policky's theory that "production is the most important part of any band's sound." Break down the musical content, and there isn't always very much there there: layers and layers of shimmery guitars make up the body of the band's sound, with drums that sound sort of tacked-on as an afterthought and echo and texture sometimes substituting for harmonic substance. But those layers and textures are wielded so expertly that you never really get bored, and the band makes the very wise choice of treating vocals in an almost abstract manner, as just one more layer in the overall sonic mix rather than a centerpiece. The result is an album whose effect will be almost exactly the same whether play it straight through or on shuffle: tracks like "Laying This One Down Now" and "Motherly Advice" are built out of such similar aural ingredients that they produce almost identical effects despite their substantial difference in tempo, and the rich sameyness of most tracks means that when one does stand out (like the stunningly beautiful "Zoning"), the effect is almost cathartic. Think My Bloody Valentine as remixed by Brian Eno, but different. Very, very nice. - allmusic.com

When Avoiding the Consequences' hour-long stare finally breaks, there's sea foam at your feet, sleep in your eyes, and it's clear why Ryan Policky and his Colorado-based four-piece call themselves A Shoreline Dream. But while the distant melodies, the swirling, treated guitars, the understated drumming, and the muffled sonics are on a perpetual slow dive toward shoegaze, Policky and Company's ride offers up a different kind of atmosphere. It's a complicated brand of sorcery that spooks and rattles as songs smear themselves all over the record in an experience that never truly ends, even after album-closer "The End" promises you it has. — Robbie Mackey - XLR8R

Selected by Urb magazine staff. - Urb Magazine

85% - A Shoreline Dream might be one of the most aptly named bands to emerge from the musical seascape this year. Their debut LP, reminiscent of Sigur Rós meets Placebo, sweeps high and low with the lunar guidance of a tidal somnambulant. As with the changing levels of the ocean, a potential to be drowned lurks behind every moment of tepid wading. But as with individual waves, the particulars of each track are overrun by the vastness of the sea itself. - FILTER

After Iuengliss’ set, there was a short wait while A Shoreline Dream set up its more traditional drums and guitars. I turned to talk to a buddy I had brought along, and about mid-sentence an absolutely beautiful wall of sound came crashing into the room, cutting off everything I was about to say. This was the meat of the show, raw and emotionally charged but with a lurking softness, the strange alchemy that a great goddamn shoegaze band can achieve. About halfway through the band’s set, I realized I had lost all sense of time and was just standing there smiling goofily. Every song offered an entirely different experience texturally but felt like something that only A Shoreline Dream could make. The guitars roared, the rhythm section tightened the screws on the pinwheeling fury, and lead singer Ryan Policky moaned and screamed at just the right moments to increase the intensity. - Westword - James Anthofer

The latest release from A Shoreline Dream is an exploration of broader sonic vistas than those of the dream-pop wunderkinds' three excellent previous efforts. Essentially a single with two remixes, Neverchanger is a collaboration with noted German composer Ulrich Schnauss. The original track is a work of breathtaking depth that stirs the imagination and carries the listener into the outer reaches of inner space. Layers of electronic and conventional instrumentation are seamlessly bound together to produce textures both soothing and electrifying. The Cacheflowe remix is dub-like in its emphasis on percussion, while Jap Jap's remix is delicately hypnotic, ensuring a revelatory, rather than repetitive, listen. Until Shoreline's next full-length album is released, this is a rich taste of what's to come. - Westword

A Shoreline Dream -- the Denver-based quartet of Ryan Policky (vocals/guitar/keyboards), Erik Jeffries (guitar), Enoc Torraca (bass), Gabriel Ratliff (drums) -- haven't even dropped debut album Avoiding the Consequences, which is set for a September 19 release, and the drummer (a.k.a. DJ Gabe) has already remixed its "Love Is a Ghost in America." Ratliff morphs the song from a slow-burning, Mogwai-inspired track of flowing, shoegaze fuzz to what he's named "Heart Failure Mix" -- an electro-fueled, post-rock romp. - www.spin.com

8.5/10

A Shoreline Dream's latest dreamscape, Coastal, begins in the former Soviet state of Ukraine, on the coast of the ominous Black Sea, and continues on a journey, albeit far too brief, from the foreboding seas of Eastern Europe and across the Atlantic Ocean. The Denver-based three-piece is in top form throughout this four-song EP, the follow-up to their creepy 2006 full-length debut, Avoiding the Consequences.

Coastal contains the same kind of shoegaze splendor as their debut album, with Ryan Policky's vocals echoing in abundance as distorted guitars swirl around the cymbal-heavy percussion. The production quality is solid, creating an ominous ambiance with a heavy fog of sound surrounding nearly everything.

The standout track is "The Barrier," a fine homage to Sonic Youth's most experimental music, which culls together random conversation, white noise, and guitar feedback to create a mystifying mélange of sounds that starts chaotic and moves toward frightening. Amidst clanking sounds of some kind of metal, a piano arpeggio emerges, lulling the listener into a trance-like state. "New York" and the haunting "Aftershocking," with its string accompaniment, complete the EP.

I don't want to sound contradictory (though I certainly will), as I argued that Avoiding the Consequences felt too long, and now I must say that Coastal might be too short. It was mildly disheartening for this EP to end after only twenty minutes, as I longed for more. I suppose I'm just an insatiable listener, or perhaps that twenty minutes isn't long enough to explore the shadowy corners of the mind.

A Shoreline Dream is a unique musical experience. Their songs exhibit a unique ability to draw listeners into the dark landscapes of the mind, with Coastal being a fine addition to their collection of nightmares and dreams.
- lostatsea.net

Policky is a magnetic, intense frontman and the band's sound is simply incredible: liquid honey guitars swirling into pools of narcoticized bliss over rolling, thrumming rhythms while Policky's voice cries anguish into an abyss of echo. - Westword