Peel Dream Magazine is the moniker Joe Stevens gives his musical creations, with the latest collection titled Agitprop Alterna. Stevens is somewhat a one-man-band, contributing guitars, organ, synth, drones and drum machines to this dreamy set. However, the key personnel addition is Jo-Anne Hyun, whose vocals give many of these tracks a noticeably Stereolab vibe. Granted, Stereolab’s oftentimes robotic pop hooks can be for some an acquired taste. However, for those that dig the Krautrock elements Stereolab saturates itself in, such an acquired taste can be as addictive as crack cocaine. Therefore, if you’ve tasted and seen that this technology is good, Agitprop Alterna provides quite the aural buzz.
With “Too Dumb,” these feminine vocals take on a gentle, all-too-human tenderness. However, Stevens’ noisy, disorienting electric guitar fills, against droning backing vocals, remind one of My Bloody Valentine. Vocals and lyrics are many times secondary to sound with Peel Dream Magazine. Stevens’ vocals are mixed way down with “Do It,” while spacey keyboard sounds dance around atop the mix. In contrast, “Eyeballs” is driven by buzzy electric guitars that give it a slightly psychedelic sound.
Agitprop Alterna is the kind of album that is love-at-first listen for anyone already into the aforementioned influences. Much like one of those old Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercials, where chocolate accidently touched food with peanut butter and suddenly created a newly essential taste combination, Peel Dream Magazine’s music can sometimes feel like space age bachelor pad music, only played by shoegaze experts utilizing the latest studio wizardry. Of course, don’t do crack, kiddies. Maybe Resse’s, too, but certainly Peel Dream Magazine.