Still Corners – ‘Dream Talk’ [Album Review]

Ethereal dream-pop duo Still Corners made up of Tessa Murray and Greg Hughes, released their sixth album, Dream Talk. Written in various places, including the south of France, East Sussex, and Woodstock, New York, the album was produced by Greg Hughes in the band’s studio in Woodstock.

Murray says, “The genesis for a lot of these songs came from dreams. Every night I would write down the dreams I could remember. While recording I would pull out my book of dreams and sing over various looped phrases Greg had been working on, the repetitive nature of the looping and singing almost felt like going into a trance. A lot of the songs came from that process, it was fun and what I thought were sort of ramblings ended up surprising us with their various meanings and imagery.”

Of the ten tracks on Dream Talk, entry points include the opener, “Today is the Day,” a softly melancholic song that conjures up suggestions of Chris Isaak with its moody, sensuous guitars and Murray’s hypnotic vocals.

A personal favorite because of its gentle swaying motion, almost Sade-like with its vaguely sophisti-pop feel, “Secret World” allows Murray to reveal her beguiling, sighing voice, mysterious and translucently seductive.

Murray says about “Secret World,” “Sometimes the thought of someone wanting to know them, getting into their world is dangerous. The real person doesn’t matter anymore, just the fantasy of them, which is totally wrong but feels right.”

Another gem, “Crystal Blue,” rides a syncopated rhythm. It is slow, dreamy, and oh-so inviting, like waves rolling in on a pristine beach. Hughes’ velvety, luminous guitar infuses the melody with warm, wafting surfaces.

Still Corners, photo by Paul Winter

“The Ship” showcases Murray’s silky tones, aglow with yearning fragrances that hang in the air like smoke. “Turquoise Moon” closes the album with brooding coloration, floating and fragile, exuding exquisitely subtle textures and spectral rinses of color.

Graceful and wistful, akin to a dream-like spell, Dream Talk evokes enigmatic tropes and refined allusions to trance-like fantasies.

Dream Talk Track Listing:

1. Today is the Day
2. The Dream
3. Faded Love
4. What is Real
5. Lose More Slowly
6. Secret World
7. Let’s Make Up
8. Crystal Blue
9. The Ship
10. Turquoise Moon

Run Time: 36:59
Release Date: April 5, 2024
Record Label: Wrecking Light Records