4 out of 5

Label: See Thru Broadcasting

Producer: Dave Sardy

If not for the sparkling production by Sardy – perhaps one of his best quirky pop records – the Starlight Mints debut is amazingly catchy but lacks some of the heart that would give later albums that little extra spark.  At the same time, ‘Dream’ is undeniably fun and creative.  From the opening string and drum stomp of ‘Submarine Number 3’ you know you’re not listening to some hodge-podge underground band.  Yes, the production sharpens and brightens all of these odd elements (listen to the layering on the slower ‘Blinded By You’ or the effective reverb balance of ‘Sugar Blaster’ – when Dave is on, he brings in that Barkmarket knowledge of how to balance catchy and chaos) but unlike a lot of the bright and shiny pack that would follow Mints soon enough in the mid 00s, it’s not just sound for sound’s sake.  The core grouping of guitar, bass and string carries the album, with flourishes coming in selectively to add and oomph here and there.  Which is why, I think, the group managed to succeed post this album – stripped down to a smaller group, without Sardy’s glittering touch – the rooting elements of a band were there, they just had to learn how to become more a cohesive whole and grow past the weirdo pop sound.

But on ‘Dream’ we’re still tossing around too many non-sequitors to get us attached or feeling.  At this point the group was appropriately compared to Flaming Lips.  Coyne’s lyrics will generally resolve into a point that’s supported by an album’s / song’s themes; Allan Vest had to earn that over a couple more discs.  Is every song on the record memorable?  Abso-fucking-lutely.  Every track is unique, and recognizable, and comes right to memory when the first few bars are played.  It’s a great, great pop record.  And during my first year with it, where I couldn’t possibly get of it, I would’ve dropped five stars on this without a doubt.  But time has dulled the effect (as it does) and separates out Sardy’s impact on, eh, how impactful this disc is to the ears.  Totally worth it for any fan of the band, but there was definite growth in store for the Mints as they discovered a more realized version of their sound.