Elf Power's 1997 concept piece When The Red King Comes was a simply beautiful set of tunes and established them as a band that could potentially be a part of the Elephant 6 A-team. Featuring a bizarre concoction of instruments a la their collectivemates The Olivia Tremor Control, including a zanzithophone and a Nepalese copper shawm, Red King was further proof that a band could stray outside the standard guitar/bass/drums setup and still rock out. The fact that the songs on that record would sound awesome even stripped down didn't hurt, either.
With A Dream In Sound, Elf Power (singer/guitarist Andrew Rieger, singer/bassist Bryan Helium, keyboardist/noisemeister Laura Carter and drummer Aaron Wegelin) are at a crossroads. Having the potential to rise above "just another E6 band" status (see also: Minders, The) into cult faves, Elf Power could be a mere footnote in underground music history tomes, or they could be mentioned in the same breath as contemporaries Neutral Milk Hotel or Apples In Stereo (besides as part of a name-checking exercise).
The breezy and unassuming "Will My Feet Still Carry Me Home" opens this record with promise - a lilting pop number aided by the lack of effects on Rieger's vocals, a pleasant departure from the distorto of the previous record. "High Atop The Silver Branches" is a bouncy little tune highlighted by a nifty little snare lead during the verses. Following the nondescript acoustic piece "Willowy Man", Helium takes over lead vocal chores for the Beatlesy "Olde Tyme Waves", after which is one of the more pure pop tunes in the Elf Power catalog, the sweet "Jane". A Dream In Sound follows this pattern throughout: ordinary ballads ("All The Passengers"), springy, exuberant superballs (the Oliviaesque title track, "The Well"), and wondrous pop-rockers ("Simon (The Bird With The Candy Bar Head)"). Toss in a song that could easily be mistaken for a Sunday morning hymnal ("Noble Experiment"), and you've got an album that even your cat will love.
Time will tell whether A Dream In Sound will be able to raise Elf Power to the level of their E6 brethren. I'll admit to a bit of initial disappointment with this record, expecting an instant classic and instead feeling like I was treated to instant coffee; the lack of a thread tying together all of the songs (as opposed to the concept-oriented Red King) brought about an unsatisfying feeling. But A Dream In Sound is one of those "grower" albums - a bit confounding and a bit of a downer at first, but give it more than a couple of listens. Your disappointment will melt away.
--Brandon Grimes