Human Cropcircles-Dreamtime…A Story
Stress can be defined as the sum of physical and mental responses to an unacceptable disparity between real or imagined personal experience and personal expectations. By this definition, stress is a response which includes both physical and mental components. This can all stem from traumatic events such as a death of a close one, a break in a relationship or other dramatic situations which, leads me to HCC newest effort “Dreamtime”. An ultra-personal LP put forth by JKR70 who is one third of this crew. This is an out of an ordinary release because in the past, HCC delved into the world of conspiracy theories and tales of aliens and other risqué topics. With “Dreamtime” their efforts are more down to earth (no pun intended) and are humanized. You will not hear industrialized type beats or other worldly lyrics. In fact, there are no lyrics at all except for the vocal samples used to concoct this audio masterpiece.
JKR70 wastes no time hitting us off with track #1 “Apprehensive”. It starts off with an amalgam of sounds like for instance a loop of an almost finished telephone ring cut off just enough to recognize it. The drums start off flat and muddy with an airy distorted guitar sound in the background. Then the voice samples kick in relaying JKR’s feelings for him:
“I feel a little apprehensive talking to you about my life with my own voice”
He then goes on to say:
“Although I think people will relate and understand why I couldn’t speak”
You need to understand that even though you do not actually hear JKR70’s voice, he is still speaking to you thru these vocal samples. It’s sort of like a kidnapper piecing together a ransom letter with a newspaper; instead it’s done audibly. The next song “Dreams Life” is 1 in 3 songs that deal with dreams even though the theme of this album is mostly playing off of the concept of dreams. The vibe on this track is dictated by a smooth piano laden beat while a supposed psychologist delves into the realm of dreaming and comparing death to the natural periodic suspension of consciousness; sleep.
Can you still dream? Is the question asked in the short but sweet “Can You Still”? Only being just over a minute long we quickly jump into “Dreamtime”; a beautifully orchestrated song. The aesthetic is bouncy and dramatic all in one. The sound of the female singing fits perfectly building the vibe to a perfect climax. Next we head into the territory of broken relationships in the moody “Parted”. With this song, you still nod your head infectiously but the track does hit you emotionally.
Overall, this is a melancholic offering by HCC but is meant to teach and make you understand what he’s gone thru. It’s obvious to me and to JKR70 as well that, music heals the soul. It’s evident throughout this release that he would probably be in a darker place if it weren’t for music. To me “Dreamtime” isn’t necessarily about dreams per se, but about dealing with real issues and how you might feel like you’re in some sort of “dreamy” catatonic state. With music as an ally, it allows you an outlet to purge your feelings without saying a word and HCC demonstrates this perfectly.
Anyone going through a downtime in their life needs to pick this LP up and play it until the healing process begins. But you need to watch out because this album flows rather quickly and 15 minutes you might not realize your more than halfway thru it. “Dreamtime” is a story of tribulations, let downs, frustrations all rolled into 14 tracks with satisfying retribution in the end. Visit them at: http://www.humancropcircles.net/ and http://www.myspace.com/stylenetworkcru -CyPhEr777
