Forget the Mantra by Nightlands
LABEL: Secretly Canadian

Ever listen to War on Drugs? Heavy reverb, undeterred guitar riffs, and much like an actual war on drugs, can be depressing, weighty, unforgettable, and at times drawn out. Now imagine for a minute that the war was over. The government gave up and in celebration everyone went on a super-elated acid inspired dream trip. The sound track to said trip would be Nightlands’ Forget the Mantra. War on Drugs’ bassist Dave Hartley is the sole creator of his album, using only his talents and the hazy recollections of his own dreams. Not surprisingly, the entire album plays like a dream, each track taking you to a more bizarre, yet peaceful dreamscape than the last.

“What I’m trying to say here is that it’s hard to listen to Forget the Mantra and not get inspired.”

The album starts with a track bearing the same name as the album itself. “Forget the Mantra” is the perfect intro to the album. A rapid drum machine paired with mysterious sounds gives it a kind of down the rabbit hole feel. Perfect. “300 Clouds” is a slow peaceful track that tells a story but really has no destination. You will, however, enjoy every minute of the ride. “Suzerain (A Letter To The Judge)” feels hopeful and optimistic, the part of the dream which is comforting and lets us escape reality, even if just for three minutes and forty-two seconds. Some of the tracks here have definitely have a slight Beach Boys influence and “’Til I  Die” is actually a Beach Boys cover. Their influence is most clear in the chorus but other than that Hartley has really made this track his own. “Glass Vacuum” is a very powerful track, not a powerful sound so to speak, but more so powerful in its ability to relax the mind. It takes a hectic day and slows it to the same idle, lackadaisical, tempo of the track. The album features 3 tracks with a year at the end of the song title and vocal samples playing throughout. Although it works well for the most part, (see “Longways Homebound, 2010”) sometimes the sound of normal speech in the samples feels like its trying to pull you out of the dream and back into wakefulness. The second to last track, “Slowtrain” kind of brings us back full circle to the acoustic folksy sound of the first few tracks.

The first few times I tried to give this album a full listen I fell asleep. Not because it was bad, or boring, or because I don’t get enough sleep (which I don’t). It’s because I would close my eyes and create my own imagery to the psychic sounds throughout the record. Before I’d realize it, I was no longer listening to the telling of his dream but rather caught in my own head trip. What I’m trying to say here is that it’s hard to listen to Forget the Mantra and not get inspired. This is probably the closest we will ever get to being able to delve into the mind and thoughts of another, and I look forward to seeing what Nightlands will think of next.



REVIEWED BY STEPHEN RICARDO
STEPHEN’S FAVORITE TRACKS: “Suzerain (A Letter to the Judge)” • “Glass Vacuum” • “Slowtrain” • “Forget the Mantra”


FREE MP3: “300 Clouds”
FREE MP3: “Suzerain (A Letter to the Judge)”