A Shoreline Dream

The third in an ongoing line of similarly themed but not musically identical projects from the core duo of Ryan Policky and Gabriel Ratliff, A Shoreline Dream combines the epic sonic attack of post-rock outfits like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Sigur Rós with the more pop-oriented and danceable feel of the classic shoegazer bands of the turn of the 1990s. The first band to feature the Denver-based Policky (vocals, guitars, and synthesizers) and Ratliff (drums) was the Radiohead-like art rock outfit Pure Drama, which released two albums, 2001's On the Surface and 2003's Pure Drama. Following that second album, Pure Drama disbanded and Policky and Ratliff joined with Björk-like singer Sarah Marcogliese (formerly of Look Eye) to form the more downtempo and dance-oriented trio Drop the Fear. That group's sole album, 2004's Drop the Fear, was well reviewed, but the collaboration did not last. With Policky taking over lead vocals on his own for the first time, the duo added guitarist Erik Jeffries and bassist Enoc Torraca to form the more experimental A Shoreline Dream. The new group's self-titled debut EP, featuring four lengthy atmospheric bliss-outs, was released by the Latenight Weeknight label in May 2006. A full-length album, Avoiding the Consequences, followed in the early fall. ~ Stewart Mason