{"id":54692,"date":"2021-10-14T13:13:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T17:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/?post_type=records&p=54692"},"modified":"2021-10-20T14:38:41","modified_gmt":"2021-10-20T18:38:41","slug":"johnny-marr-fever-dreams-pt-1","status":"publish","type":"records","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/records\/johnny-marr-fever-dreams-pt-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Johnny Marr – Fever Dreams Pt. 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Johnny Marr, the man responsible for the guitar hooks\u2014and let\u2019s face it\u2014the overall appealing sound of The Smiths, has been killing it after the 1980s British jangle pop band. He had a stint with The Pretenders, has worked with Talking Heads, Electronic, Hans Zimmer, Modest Mouse, and most recently, one of the biggest and youngest pop stars today\u2014Billie Eilish\u2014on the new James Bond<\/em> title-crawler \u201cNo Time To Die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marr also has four solo LPs, not all of them hits, but his latest EP, Fever Dreams Pt. 1<\/em>, a four-song teaser of his upcoming 2022 double album Fever Dreams Pt. 1-4<\/em>, is one of the more memorable. Marr has always been a stand-up guy when asked questions about The Smiths, a band who haven\u2019t been around for almost 35 years, so it\u2019s no wonder his own music is always compared to them. And usually, the review is \u201cit\u2019s good, but it\u2019s not The Smiths.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with Fever Dreams Pt. 1<\/em>, Marr might finally be over the comparison. The opening number \u201cSpirit Power and Soul\u201d is almost new-age disco, featuring layer synths, electronic drums, and a few minimal guitar lines. The production on this track is insane. At one moment, it\u2019s like you\u2019re in a grimy German disco looking for the next drink, the next you\u2019re front and centre in neon-lit cult circle with Marr as the robed leader. It\u2019s a ridiculously catchy track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReceiver\u201d sounds like the opening to a David Fincher movie, utilizing the evil sounds of synthwave. A few seconds later the track brightens up with a phased, almost underwater, guitar tone. One might picture Marr on his back on the studio floor, closing his eyes, and manifesting the perfect guitar tone for this track. The song is about all of the information we has humans consume and \u201cdecode\u201d on a daily basis. Also, Marr is not only a brilliant songwriter, but singer. His voice pairs perfectly with the nostalgic feel the song is going for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two EP closers, \u201cAll These Days\u201d and \u201cAriel\u201d, are probably the most Smiths-sounding tracks, with the jangly guitar hooks and fuzzy bass. On the surface value, yes they sound like riffs that could be on The Queen Is Dead<\/em>, but the mixing and mastery of Marr\u2019s studio work sets them apart. The acoustic arpeggio in \u201cAriel\u201d is also reminiscent \u201cThe Killing Moon\u201d by one of Marr\u2019s counterparts, Echo & the Bunnymen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will most likely be some duds on the full LP, but if the sounds on Fever Dreams Pt. 1<\/em> are a prevue of what we can expect, the full LP should convey some of Johnny Marr\u2019s best solo work.
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