Discover Hidden Gems: Dreams

Justin Li

Mar 3, 2024 • 6 min read

Whether it be literature, film, or music, dreams have long been a source of creative inspiration. Ironically, it is in slumber that we snap out of the accepted rules and structures in perception and art. This week, music team gathered to discuss music that evoke of dreams-both the pleasant and haunting ones. In addition to curating a 5-hour playlist across many genres, we've also handpicked several standout tracks and placed them on a sweet dream-nightmare spectrum for your exploration.

Pastel Memories - Lionmilk

Starting with the dreams pick of the week, we have the entrancingly sweet “Pastel Memories”. The song is full of lush ambient chords and a hazy ambient filter overtop that truly brings you into a dream. The sound itself is also reminiscent of other nostalgic pieces of media, such as “Castle in the Sky” or games from the Legend of Zelda franchise. The song only becomes dreamier as it goes along, as new sounds and instruments are revealed, leaving the listener feeling as if they had just been transported into an aetheric dreamscape. - F.B.

FCC Safe
Genres: Ambient, Hypnagogic Pop
SWEET DREAM <😴-------------> NIGHTMARE

Bare Layers - Sevish

“Bare Layers” is a song that grabs you by the collar and takes you flying through a dream. The microtonal sound present throughout the whole song gives a particular eerie feel that fits right at home with dreams, as it always feels like something is slightly off despite being somewhat peaceful. The electronic sounds vibrating throughout the song also gives off a dreamesque vibe, and in contrast to the previous song, feels like a much more active dream, where there's always something happening. - F.B.

FCC Safe
Genres: IDM, Acid Breaks
SWEET DREAM <--🤖-----------> NIGHTMARE

Paraiso - Pearl & the Oysters

With a different perspective on where dreams should be, “Paraiso” takes us to island getaway. Surrounded by pillowy synths with light flute trills to spice up the mix, you can practically feel the wind coming wafting from the ocean as you lounge about. The mellow baseline keeps you lucid though, forgetting about all your problems as you drift off for the sweetest dream of your life. - F.B.

FCC Safe
Genre: Psychedelic Pop
SWEET DREAM <---😴----------> NIGHTMARE

Planetarium - Curtis Schweitzer

Off of the soundtrack of the game Starbound, we get “Planetarium”, one of the first songs you hear when playing and definitely one of the most memorable. To some, this song is filled with nostalgia, reminding them of a simpler time when they got home from school and could immediately hop on and play games with their friends. This dreamy look at the past, blended together with the lucid electronic sounds of the song make you feel like you're in a dream rooted in reminiscing over the past. - F.B.

FCC Safe
Genres: Ambient, Video Game Soundtrack
SWEET DREAM <----😴---------> NIGHTMARE

Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium - Camille Saint-Saëns

“Aquarium” paints a lush dreamy landscape off of the back of some strings, a couple pianos, some flutes, and a harmonica. The sound is reminiscent of many dreamy nostalgic pieces of media, such as Disney’s “Fantasia” or “Coraline”, and although haunting at parts still maintains an overall air of wonder and inquiry typical of dreams. - F.B.

FCC Safe
Genres: Classical, Orchestral
SWEET DREAM <-----😴--------> NIGHTMARE

Coffee And Pudding - 百景[Hyakkei]

"Coffee and Pudding, off of Hyakkei’s debut album, starts with some hauntingly calm chords played in reverse, giving off a very eerie nostalgic feel. The rest of the song continues in a very similar manner, and almost feels like drifting off in a slightly stuffy cabin. There is an interpretation of the song that could be seen as nightmarish, as the chords could be viewed as unsettling to some, but overall the song is definitely dream-like. - F.B.

FCC Safe
Genres: Post-rock
SWEET DREAM <-----😴--------> NIGHTMARE

Castle in the Clouds - Cut Worms

Something follows you back from the other side
From the locked up basement at the house of blue light
Close your eyes and you’ll fall right through the floor
There are things in this world that are real
All your life but you’re taught to ignore

“Castle in the Clouds” sounds sweet, but it features an array of abstract images and concepts alluding to something dreadful. For folk artist Max Clarke, nobody is living in the American Dream or the present. Clarke says in an interview that the album is about "throwaway consumer culture and how the postwar commercial wet dreams never came true, how nothing is made to last". This song captures an isolating fear of watching your creativity and childhood sieve through your fingers in a pipedream". -J.L.

FCC Safe
Genres: Alt-Country, Folk Pop
SWEET DREAM <-------🏰------> NIGHTMARE

Poison Tree - Grouper

A dream that doesn’t necessarily scare you as much as it underlines a void in your heart. The type of nightmare that feels like being trapped in a foggy loop and makes you reevaluate the place you are in in your own life when you’re awake. -J.L.

Notes -

FCC safe
Genre: Ambient, Dream Pop
SWEET DREAM <--------🕳️-----> NIGHTMARE

Cat Eyes - KAVARI

British underground producer Kavari is known for her mix of dark, abrasive sound design with melodic soundscapes. Cat Eyes’ synths are likewise nightmarish, but it’s coupled with a steady rhythm that gives it a ground and logic to stand-on. -J.L.

FCC Safe
Genre: Drum and Bass, Post-Industrial
SWEET DREAM <----------👹---> NIGHTMARE

Above Me - Medslaus

Medslaus was New York underground artists Medhane and Slauson Malone’s collaboration project, in which they’ve created some of the most mind-bending, surreal hip hop I’ve ever heard. Despite this, the music has been taken off nearly every streaming platform since, and it is at risk of being lost to time without people championing it. “Above Me” is the deeply unsettling fever dream you get after taking too much benadryl. Its extremely slowed sample, chaotic percussion, and grimy layering all contributes to a profound disorientation, and the occasional cut-offs feels like moments of clarity before plunging back to the abyss. -J.L.

Not FCC safe
Genre: Experimental Hip Hop
SWEET DREAM <-----------👹--> NIGHTMARE

I’m the Fuck You Man - Wedlock

The Fuck-You-Man is the type of absurd villain that could only exist in dream logic. This track feels like the type of dreams you get chased down right before jolting awake in cold sweat. -J.L.