Futures

After releasing a batch of lovely dream pop albums in the '90s, Butterfly Child went into a hibernation that lasted almost two decades. Though the band's leader and now sole member Joe Cassidy kept working on music in one form or another, it took until 2012 for another BC recording to be released. That single, "No Longer Living in Your Shadow," came about while Cassidy was working on a retrospective release and Dell'Orso label boss Guy Sirman asked about new stuff instead. The single led to the first Butterfly Child album in many years, Futures. Recorded alone by Cassidy in Los Angeles using the same brand of drum machine he made the first BC recording with, the album is a stunningly good addition to the band's CV. Still mining the rich vein of swirling, dreamy guitar pop he did originally, Cassidy's songwriting skills haven't diminished over time. If anything, they are a bit more refined on Futures. For every tune that reaches heavenly levels of chiming guitars, ambient noise, and soaring vocals that recall past glories, like the wonderful "Our Delays," there's one like the gently rolling "Still Learning to Crawl" that has a relaxed singer/songwriterly feeling. He proves equally adept at both styles, making sure to give the more expansive songs enough structure to keep them from floating away, while also adding some mood-setting atmosphere to the more straightforward tracks. It's a first-class balancing act made even better by the light, relaxed touch Cassidy applies to the arrangements and instrumentation. The strings added to some of the ballads are very pretty, the louder guitars never overpower the delicate melodies, and a few of the songs sound like they could have been radio hits in 1996 -- "Blind Me So I May See" and the impossibly jangly "Playfair Steps" being the two most likely candidates. On Butterfly Child albums made during the band's original run, they seemed more in tune with the musical world around them, with hopes to be part of the vanguard. Now Cassidy is making music for himself, reaching inward instead of looking outward, delving into some serious darkness and sending it back out across the wires in beautiful fashion. Futures is a strong comeback, the kind BC fans could have only wished for in their wildest dreams. It captures the best aspects of their past, while sounding like dream pop perfection in the present and promising more good things for the future. ~ Tim Sendra