"Stardreaming" is a hodgepodge of '80s-influenced new wave, yet misses more often than it hits. The title track and "Today" showcase a Joy Division and New Order kind of vibe. "Shock The World" sounds like early U2 without the vocal vitriol that should accompany lyrics such as "Don't deceive us while we are turned/Or we'll surely attack." Lead singer Ravenswood's vocals are almost always too flat, stoic and monotone to hold it together. His voice tends to unravel and ultimately distract from everything else in the song. His delivery style is better suited to tracks like "Beautiful Sunday," in which the group channels Devo and Ravenswood's apparent emotional detachment complements the music perfectly.
When he's not singing, Ravenswood has the annoying tendency to moan along to the music (a nice musical break would be more fitting). He even pens a whole verse of this nonsense on "Everybody Needs" (sample lyric from the CD booklet: "Eeya, heya, eya/Eeya, heeya, heeya"). It's like a Crash Test Dummies tribute band only playing "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm." The band would sound better if they made more use of bassist Nichole Cassavant's ethereal backup vocals, as they do on "Revelation." But she's often relegated to the background while Ravenswood bleats and moans.
This group is musically talented, but on this CD, they've tried to do too much and "Stardreaming" aims a little too high and falls awfully hard. With more judicious lyrical editing, and a willingness to accept and work with the singer's vocal limitations, Larry Ravenswood and The Aura could be a fun group. TH
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