Control / You Are Not The Center

At a recent DREAM_MEGA performance, Joel Kyack stood alone on stage, directing alava flow of sound at the audience. Overwhelmed by the haunted-house frequencies, theinvasive rhythms, the untethered, untuned vocals, one attendee bent against another towhisper, "I think this guy's channeling demons." Whether spoken in terror or esteem, thisaccusation is useful in the face of DREAM_MEGA's second LP, 'Control / You Are Not theCenter.' The record is laced with menace. You hear it in the mutant war marches, in thedancehall reflux, in the tolling bass. You hear it in the crystalline melodies and theyearning ascensions. You even hear it in the Guided by Voices cover.Joel's relationship with unsettling sound-demon channeling-is now decades long. Hislong-standing service in Landed, the band he co-founded in 1997, runs parallel to Joel'scontributions to Six Finger Satellite, Men's Recovery Project, Megafuckers, Dos Mega,and Street Buddy. This relentless dedication points a straight line to the feverish decay ofhis present day work, but Dream Mega stands distinct. Borne out of Joel's near-deathexperience in 2020-a debilitated week spent isolated in Thailand, coughing blood anddrenching bedsheets-DREAM_MEGA commandeers a unique space at the overlap ofconfrontation and abandon.Drawing on his own experiences at both hardcore shows and at street performances,Joel pushes DREAM_MEGA into an antipodal state where hyper-awareness andliberatory transcendence coexist. The songs on 'Control / You Are Not the Center' stareunblinking at our dumb, dangerous world the same way a Dropdead song might, but theysimultaneously lift the burden of this disaster, pushing toward airy respite. Some of this isJoel's compositional approach, setting ancient woodwinds against digital synthesizers,crossing unnatural circuitry with human breath. But the heart of it is Joel's dire,middle-of-the-night need to address his fear and sadness and glimmers of hope andtwist it into something that might keep his heart beating, despite. It is an act of clarity andself-preservation so skillfully wrought that every listener is able to feel the demons atwork on their own heart.'Control / You are Not The Center' features sonic contributions from Ryan Weinstein(Coffin Prick), Cordey Lopez, and Lisa Anne Auerbach. It is recommended for fans ofHassell & Eno's 'Fourth World, Vol.1: Possible Musics', Houston's chopped and screwedscene, and Captain Beefheart.