Adventures In Real Time
Warner, 2014
8/10
Listen to Adventures In Real Time
The youngster Dylan Gardner played nearly as many instruments on this debut album as the number of years he had been alive, where he whittled down 100 songs to the 10 that make up Adventures In Real Time.
The aptly titled “Let’s Get Started” leads the album with drums and guitars working together playfully as Gardner’s vocals sound much wiser than his years in the upbeat and retro-rock setting, and “Heroes Tonight” follows with Garner’s versatile pipes in the highly melodic display of timeless ideas and memorable riffs.
Halfway through, “I Think I’m Falling For Something” recruits bright horns on the rhythmic and exciting album highlight, while “The Actor” resides in acoustic guitar fueled balladry as Gardner shows much range with his pipes. “Sing For The Stars”, one of the record’s best, then places drum programming into the sweet love song that touches on psychedelic ideas, too.
The last two tracks include “With A Kiss”, where nods to pop music from many decades ago is present amid the fuzzy guitar, and “Invincible” exits the listen with a hint of Brit-rock as a soaring and precise landscape finishes the listen on a very high note.
An artist who was noticed after posting videos of himself online covering The Beatles, Gardner even references John and Yoko here, and his ‘60s influences aren’t hidden across these nostalgic tunes from a then very talented 17 year old.
Travels well with: Ruby Rabbitfoot- New As Dew; Streets Of Laredo- Wild