Artist:  Velvet Sun
Album: Dreamhome
Label:  Flotation Records

Rating:  4

Getting a lock on Velvet Sun is the difficult thing. One moment it's hard rock, the next it's a throwback to Spinal Tap, and then it's soothing and depressing a little later. But there is a definite genre to the band's new album, entitled Dreamhome...

Velvet Sun is able to embody a lot of English invasion elements. Scott Weinkle, who wrote and performed all of the music, is shown in the album booklet standing in front of a Gothic building clutching his jacket around his small frame. His face is typically English: a little pudgy with soft features and thinning hair. But his voice is deep and foreboding, sometimes sounding like Morrissey and at other times sounding like David St. Hubbins.

"English Garden" is the funniest song on the album; whether it's meant to be or not is another issue. But this song is especially reminiscent of Spinal Tap. Weinkle sings "Come to the garden it's really keen/The birds are flying/An English Dream." But the gravity of the song is more like Spinal Tap's later and more brilliant piece, "Stonehenge." This comparison makes "English Garden" worth the entire album.

There are even better songs with fewer pop references! "Bewitched," for instance, is a wonderfully innovative song that simply starts with a piano and some whirly noises in the background. One minute into the song, Miriam Weinkle, it sounds like Scott Weinkle's mother or grandmother, is sampled. Moby has become mainstream for similar efforts, but Velvet Sun doesn't make a big deal out of the sampling. It's brief, satisfying and excellently placed.

The 40-year-old voice is ghostly - echoing over a bass and piano - and it gets cut off on a long, open note. Whether Miriam is dead or not, the voice sounds dead, as if it is echoing out of a coffin.

The album begins well, too. Opening with the same creepy ghost noises used on "Bewitched," "Eden" soon breaks into "Atmosphere" with a strong guitar and Scott Weinkle straining his voice in an enthusiastic manner.

Although it's difficult to tell if Scott Weinkle meant his album to be a serious piece or not is difficult to tell, especially with "English Garden" stuck right in the middle of it. Nevertheless, it is an interesting album that can be listened to with a bit of humor.