Do not judge this album after only one listen. As a matter of fact, you may need a few intent listens before you solidify an opinion… Or at least the correct opinion.
A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea, the debut from Ashville, North Carolina’s Tyler Ramsey is like an extended journey where everything must be taken in.
If you sense yourself feeling bored with this release, listen close…and if that doesn’t work listen again. When – on listen four - this albums hits you, it will hit you damn square in the face and quite possibly knock the breath out of you.
Ramsey is a modern day hippy, complete with beard, shaggy hair and a disheveled appearance. His look and sound resemble a 70’s rock star. However, do not pigeonhole him. His mellow sound is a mixture of diverse influences, from the finger picking styles of Leo Kotke and the soulful melodies of an early Jackson Brown to the vocal similarities between Ramsey and Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell. The record is classic folk, blues and rock all rolled into one, yet it proves to be unmistakably fresh and modern.
The album opens with subtle finger picking of the title track, “A Long Dream”. The song clocks in at just over six minutes, along the way tempting us with a constant hum that suggests a musical change that – perfectly – never seems to come.
“Ships” floats in with a mellow guitar and a steady, soft beat. It continues fluently with the albums common – somewhat conceptual – subject of water and is downright beautiful. “It’s so sad to see you clinging on desperately to one thing/when your dream is so entangled in another persons dream.”
The powerful and melancholic “No One Goes Out” is sullenly reflective. “We lost a beautiful friend/Everything I’ve known has had an end/I wrote a letter to ask her to come back/But I know I’ll never be sendin’/She already made her return/They led her right back to her old ways.”
The album’s weak spot is the cover of the before mentioned Jackson Brown’s “These Days”, which is done well enough. However, with 11 original tracks that stand on their own, this easily could have been left as a b-side.
After “These Days”, the record picks back up and continues with its comforting unique delicacy. The oddly familiar “Worried” and the desperate “Please Stop Time” softly end the album as it began and lead into the thematic sound of waves crashing on the beach.
A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea is a thoughtful investment of time and energy that pays off. The dream is long, but worthwhile. Be sure to give it a chance. You will not regret swimming with Tyler Ramsey. |