Album Review: Still Corners- Dream Talk

Dream pop is a genre that is huge in the music circles I run in. It’s a genre that really begins in the late 80s and early 90s when you think of bands like Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, Lush and Galaxie 500. The 4AD record label being synonymous with the sound, which surely evolved from post punk bands like the Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees, but also drew from so many places- the multiple facets of the Velvet Underground of course, but also weirdly the country rock of the Byrds, Gram Parsons and Neil Young. 

 In many ways, Dream Pop is linked with shoegaze, and over time, the importance of both (as well as the nitpicking gatekeepers) seems to have grown in leaps and bounds. While this has benefited those original bands, it also benefits lesser known bands that seem to have accrued diehard audiences. Dream Pop was also a perfect antidote to the Oughts style of indie rock, leading to a next wave of popular and artistic heights with Beach House being the most notable face of the genre this time. While that wave probably hit its peak in 2010, its influence lives on with bands like Japanese Breakfast, No Vacation and Hatchie. But even without discussing these popular bands, the sound of the genre is deep and widespread at this point. Dream Pop is entrenched beyond 90s fans’ wildest expectations. 

Still Corners, the British/American duo is among some of the best known bands in the genre. Beach House formed in 2004, released their first album in 2008 and got signed to Sub Pop in 2010. Still Corners formed in 2007 and Sub Pop signed them for their first album in 2011. Still Corners never got the attention Beach House got. 

After the second album, they left SubPop and some of the big online sites stopped reviewing them. But they’ve remained at it, and album # 6, 2024s Dream Talk is a hidden gem of the genre. Cinematic, psychedelic and even some New Wave-ish pop- all based around “dreams” A lot of the songs sound familiar. I think that it’s an ok thing. I would also say that unlike many of the bands I mentioned above, this album really leans into Dream Pop and online reaction really reflects that with genre fans raving about it, while a lukewarm reception from indie heads. 

Still if you love the genre as much as I do, this is well worth checking out.