Introduction
Originally released in 2002 and now lovingly restored as part of the ongoing rehabilitation of DNRC Records, Davey Dreamnation’s long-awaited debut album, Islands in the Stream of Consciousness, is brimming with melody, technological sophistication, 120bpm drum beats, amazingly uplifting guitar solos and lyrics to kill for.
Comprising 10 tracks, the album was released on 24 August 2002 via the MP3.com.au streaming service. It was preceded by several digital promotional singles, including lead single ‘Hot Soup Girl‘ and the smash hit ‘Loveless‘. Owing to a technical jitch, however, the title track was not released until 29 August 2002.
On 1 October 2002 Dreamnation issued a press release claiming that Islands In the Stream of Consciousness had reached the coveted number 1 position on the MP3.com.au lo-fi charts, although Internet archives indicate that it only reached number 3. The album has come to be known as Davey Dreamnation’s masterpiece, with one critic calling it ‘incendiary’.
Islands in the Stream of Consciousness: track by track
The recording process for Islands In the Stream of Consciousness was fragmented, with different studios and recording equipment used for each track. The full album was mixed at the Camp Davey compound before its release. This section details the history and context of each track on the album.
A1. Davium
Never one to shy away from controversy, Davey Dreamnation chose to begin his debut album with a track about a newly-discovered element. The fact that he was forced to delete the song after admitting that Davium does not actually exist is a testament to both his risk-taking and his superb political judgement.
A2. Dim Stars
Sometimes referred to as ‘Dim Stars 3’, this track makes heavy use of reverb and backwards effects. With lyrics taken from an Internet search poem, and multi-layered vocal backing tracks, this is serious listening for anyone interested in the origins of the universe.
A3. Friday Nation
An apparent ode to early closing times.
A4. Guns of Davey
Often misinterpreted as an ode to Davey’s gym-pumped ‘guns’, this song also courted controversy for its barely disguised ripoff of the Clash’s ‘Guns of Brixton’.
A5. Hot Soup Girl
The song that started everything for Davey Dreamnation, Hot Soup Girl rightly forms the centrepiece of Islands In the Stream of Consciousness, its unhinged whig-out towering over every other instrumental break between Tribesco and Camp Davey.
B1. In a Previous Carnation
Originally released as a b-side to “Loveless”, “In a Previous Carnation” quickly established itself as a fan favourite, and became the subject of multiple live requests (and at least two credible death threats) during Dreamnation’s barnstorming 2002 tour of Australia’s Top End. An obvious attempt on the part of the beleagured star to shrug off perrsistent “nu-gazer” accusations, the song also marks a return to form, featuring the late Quito on guitar.
B2. Loveless
In “Loveless”, a song was apparently recorded in a matter of seconds in the DNRC Records home studio, Davey Dreamnation reaches out a hand to all the lonely people and proffers a mongrammed handkerchief. Taking up where Rick Astley’s ‘Too Many Broken Hearts in the World’ left off, ‘Loveless’ careens through several genres at breakneck speed, before landing at the feet of Concrete Blonde’s ‘Joey’.
B3. Pixellate a Mouse
First released under the provocative title of, “Pixel Mouse”, in an apparent reference to the name of his former manager, Davey Dreamnation then raised the bar once again by re-naming the single “Pixellate a Mouse”. To this day the meaning of this phrase remains unclear; however, Dreamnation has always strenuously denied all charges of character assassination. The trial continues.
B4. The Sprawl
Just in case they weren’t obvious enough already, Davey painted his influences in huge thirty foot lettering on the side of a grain silo in Coonabarabran, in a bizarre tribute to ACT-UP activists and graffiti artists around the world. A song that clearly should have been on a different album entirely (Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation), ‘The Sprawl’ clocks in at just over 6 minutes, making it the longest song Davey ever recorded.
B5. Islands In the Stream of Consciousness
In a typical SNAFU, the title track from Islands In the Stream of Consciousness was only released several weeks after the album itself appeared online. Despite the delay, “Islands In the Stream of Consciousness” confirmed what everyone else already knew: namely, that Kenny Rodgers and Dolly Parton were definitely not on acid when they recorded “Islands In the Stream”.
Praise for Islands In the Stream of Consciousness
Put simply, this album is the wasabi on the toast, the ice on the slope, a gem, a taster from one of the most obscure, erratic and quite probably brilliant minds of an entire generation.
Eyna
What more can be said about this remarkable album except that its title track embodies the fundamental principles of both Scientology and the United Nations? Incendiary.
Mead
Peace on earth and goodwill to all, including Dolly Parton, Mack Davis, Howard Jones, Nick Rhodes, Brian Wilson and all the other singer-songwriters not mentioned on this outstanding, uplifting and jubilant celebration of what it means to be a superstar dressed in a jumpsuit and leg warmers.
Clint Bo Dean
Simply stunning.
Scaramouche
I’m seething. Seething.
Stung