Canyons: Keep Your Dreams (Modular)

Canyons

Keep Your Dreams

Modular

Dec 01, 2011 Web Exclusive By Luke Winkie

Being students of dance music's rich history is nothing new, but the Australian duo, Canyons, take wistfulness to a new level. They forge their statement on Keep Your Dreams with throbbing, disco basslines, soaring sax-solos, and brittle, excavated synthesizers. These elements coalesce into beautiful machines on their most direct throwbacks "Under a Blue Sky," "See Blind Through," and "Blue Snakes"—but elsewhere they don't want it as easily. Second to last song "And We Dance" repurposes LCD Soundsystem's legendary staccato piano and folds in a warped sitar, bringing a blowout of a listen to a subtle, somewhat somber close. "The Bridge" is very self-referential in its title—linking together the two sides with a subterranean, druggy pulse. Canyons are on record saying that they aren't interested in linking 11 dance songs into an album, if that's truly the case Keep Your Dreams succeeds. You just might wish they stuck to their hedonism more. (www.myspace.com/thecanyonsinfo)

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