Dreamcake

Dreamcake is the first album by the Halifax, Nova Scotia, band Jale.[2][5][6] It was released in 1994 on Sub Pop Records.[7][8]

Dreamcake
Studio album by
Released12 July 1994
Genrealternative rock
LabelSub Pop[1]
ProducerBrad Wood[2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]

The only Jale album with the singer-songwriter-drummer Alyson McLeod, the songs on Dreamcake are considered edgier and more emotional than those of Jale's later work.

The closing track, "Promise," written by Jennifer Pierce and Patrick Pentland, and sung by Pierce, was released as a single.

Critical reception

The Chicago Reader wrote that the album "displays a precocious craft that lifts [Jale] well above one-trick-pony status."[9] Exclaim! called Dreamcake one of the ten best Canadian-made Sub Pop records, writing that "hypnotic Halifax pop swirls between the speakers on 'Again,' while 'Mend' threads together elements of jangling twee and paisley-print psychedelia."[10] The Chicago Tribune wrote that "with a bit less aggression than Hole and less cutesy-ness than Shonen Knife, [Jale] incorporate just enough guitar noise to counterbalance all those delightful pop hooks."[11]

Trouser Press wrote: "A diverse collection of contemporary electric indie-pop styles (some audibly influenced by Sloan) from a palette of appealing melodies, gentle harmony singing and buzzing guitar power, the casual-sounding record articulates the longings and frustrations of mindful young women who know when to draw the line and walk away from a bad scene."[12]

Track listing

All tracks by Jale

  1. "Not Happy" – 2:54
  2. "Nebulous" – 2:53
  3. "3 Days" – 3:26
  4. "To Be Your Friend" – 2:30
  5. "Again" – 3:21
  6. "River" – 3:28
  7. "I'm Sorry" – 2:15
  8. "Mend" – 2:10
  9. "The Unseen Guest" – 2:29
  10. "Love Letter" – 3:21
  11. "Emma" – 2:41
  12. "Promise (Jimmybeane Majestic Version)" – 4:34

Personnel

  • Jennifer Pierce – guitar
  • Alyson MacLeod – drums
  • Laura Stein – bass guitar
  • Eve Hartling – guitar

References

  1. Records, Sub Pop. "Dreamcake". Sub Pop Records.
  2. Barclay, Michael (2001). Have Not Been the Same: The Canrock Renaissance, 1985-1995. ECW Press. pp. 510–513.
  3. Boldman, Gina. "Review: Dreamcake". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  4. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 4: MUZE. p. 559.CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. "Sub Pop 1995 Feature: Swingin' on the Flippity Flop with Sub Pop". Spin. April 2, 2018.
  6. Johns, Stephanie. "Listen to this: Jale, "Again" (Komoda mix)". The Coast Halifax.
  7. "HALIFAX GRUNGE | Maclean's | NOVEMBER 28, 1994". Maclean's | The Complete Archive.
  8. Gubbins, Teresa, Dallas Morning. "BANDS TAKE A SINGULAR ATTITUDE". OrlandoSentinel.com.
  9. Reger, Rick. "Jale". Chicago Reader.
  10. "Sub Pop's Top 10 Canadian-made Albums". exclaim.ca.
  11. Kening, Dan. "Other concerts of note: Jale, Tuesday at Lounge Ax". chicagotribune.com.
  12. "Jale". Trouser Press. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
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