David and the Woods

Three years on since Les Archipels de L’Océanie, a little homemade surprise that fell into my hands, and David (Dugas Dion) is still climbing the four-track trees and dropping down ripe CD-Rs. Forever Sleeping keeps his existing indie flames (Eric’s Trip, Sonic Youth) glowing but now only as a background flicker to his own brighter light. Openers “Nomad” and “Lévitation” may be borrowed from the Rick White playbook but “Flowing Out,” with its sweet vocal harmony and gradually building guitar layers, sounds like a Posies song hijacked by timber wolves. The variety of stringed instruments (banjo, lap steel and sitar) allow subtle but potent shifts in mood. Tracks like “Tired” and “Marry You” flirt with “wood, wires” territory then “Forever Home” fills up on the “whiskey.” Fans of David’s tendency for space travel won’t be disappointed either, as the mid-album title track and nearly 20-minute closer “Death” propel them into a very loud void that is increasingly filled with low-end guitar distortion. In fact, pretty much anything a heartsick indie veteran might want is here. For us, Forever Sleeping is the kind of love letter we keep hoping for. (Cuchabata)
- Exclaim

From the bedroom “wilds” of Valleyfield, QC David Dugas-Dion records and releases music reminiscent of the early ’90s indie four-track boom. He nails both the distortion pedal chug-a-longs of Sonic Youth/Dinosaur Jr. and the spacey psychedelic noise breakdowns of Eric’s Trip/Elevator. Despite his one-man-band approach, Dugas-Dion achieves a full ensemble vibe admirably, using sloppy-handed real drums rather than a machine to advantage rather than impediment. The handmade approach, leaving unpolished surfaces and rough edges, is a nice break from the dearth of studio quality but passion-free home recordings. Occasional field recordings serve as backgrounds, breaking down a wall into outer space. And speaking of outer space, a love for it shows through in his lengthier instrumental freak outs like “Grass” and “Space-Time Satori,” which possess echoes of early Bevis Frond workouts. Like many CD-R self releases, there is a little forgivable filler, but it ultimately brackets the album’s strengths that are its mid-length distortion laced songs marked by sudden breaks and changes. May the suburban bedrooms rise again! (Silentstagnation)
- Exclaim