Johnny Marr
designed
Fever Dreams
as a series of four interlocked EPs, but after delivering the second part of the project in late 2021, the next two installments arrived latched to the previous two as the double-album
Fever Dreams, Pts. 1-4
. At a glance, this may seem like little more than a clever way of playing with formats and attention spans in the era of streaming, yet the process seems to have focused
Marr
to deliver finely honed individual tracks that do fit well together. Perhaps
lacks the conceptual clarity of
Call the Comet
, the 2018 album where he reckoned with the turmoil rolling around the globe, yet it feels cohesive, functioning almost as a summary of the different strands of
's music over the years.
The Smiths
are no longer the touchstone. While
still conjures rich, cinematic soundscapes out of six strings, the guitars are part of a tapestry that places nocturnal, insistent keyboards at the forefront, with the rhythm and melody lagging slightly behind. The urgency of performance makes
feel fresh, but sonically, it's firmly grounded in the indie of the late '80s and early '90s, the period before Britpop flattened out eccentricities.
finds this a rich vein to mine. Most of
operates at a heightened pitch -- tempos are taken at a quick pace, the production is dense with detail -- but the tracks don't blend together: "Sensory Street" grabs the ears with its thick throb, while the sparkling, sweet melody of "Ariel" operates at the other end of its spectrum. Strictly speaking, there are no surprises or detours within these 16 tracks, yet it's unexpected to hear
maintain his drive through a full double album without lagging. He sounds in full command of his craft, and that's a pleasure to hear. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine