Steve Roach -- Dreamtime Return

7/10

After I found Steve Roach's Structures from Silence, everyone--"everyone" being music journalism--said that I needed to listen to Roach's Dreamtime Return. Indeed, I recognized the iconic cover of a man walking between two large rocky outcroppings with a blue, cloudy sky behind him, and immediately purchased the album. In the years since, I've tried to get into Dreamtime Return so many times, to no avail. The 1988 double-album has been hailed as a landmark work in ambient music, and Steve Roach's magnum opus. For me, it's just...fine.
Maybe Structures from Silence's three-track, er, structure spoiled me. Dreamtime Return, inspired by Roach's trip to Aboriginal sites in Northern Australia, spans 14 tracks, and over two hours of music. That's a lot of droning synths, and it's just too damn much for me, no matter how I've tried to break it apart. The album just doesn't have the flow or natural cohesion to be taken on any type of overly enjoyable terms. Instead, moments stand out--"Ooh, this epic, expansive feeling on "The Continent" sure is great," ""Oh, these fast-paced drums on "Songline" are a nice change of pace," "Wow, "The Return" definitely feels like an ending"--but the overall journey just rambles on and on without enough connective tissue. The individual parts are many times beautiful, gorgeous pieces, but no matter how I slice Dreamtime Return, I can't make the whole satisfying. Maybe the NEXT time I listen to it...


1988 Fortuna
Disc One
1. Towards the Dream 7:08
2. The Continent 4:49
3. Songline 3:10
4. Airtribe Meets the Dream Ghost 7:00
5. A Circular Ceremony 11:18
6. The Other Side 13:14
7. Magnificent Gallery 6:07
8. Truth in Passing 8:41
9. Australian Dawn-The Quiet Earth Cries Inside 6:18

Disc Two
1. Looking for Safety 31:21
2. Through a Strong Eye 6:50
3. The Ancient Day 6:06
4. Red Twilight with the Old Ones 9:48
5. The Return 8:33