Dream Shake creates subtly angular, fuzz-infused pop music. Formerly under the moniker We Are Trees, the band consists of frontman James Nee and a guy named Elliott who lays down the rhythms. The band releases their self titled LP tomorrow on Frenchkiss Records.
States Nee about his pairing with longtime friend Elliott about their collaborative efforts:
“It’s more like Alfred and Bruce than Batman and Robin. Like if you take Robin away from Batman, Batman still kicks ass; if you take Alfred away from Bruce Wayne, Batman still exists physically but not mentally.”
It’s an interesting perspective, as one typically thinks of a duo as a wholly collaborative effort as opposed to the frontman-and-others mentality you can often get in a larger group with a single bold personality out front.
Listening to a pair of We Are Trees EPs from 2010 and 2011, a distinction can be heard between Nee’s former project and Dream Shake. The latter is more focused, more cohesive. Nee sticks to a sound rather than flirting with several, making Dream Shake as a whole more consistent.
Check out “Buffy” below, along with an album sneak peek video (featuring the intro to “Deanna”), and look for Dream Shake tomorrow on Frenchkiss.
Dream Shake from John Moran on Vimeo.