Dean allows each tiny detail to be built directly into the big picture. Each little drum hit, each guitar pluck becomes the part of something greater, of an almost-melody. It is very endearing, even the abstract lyrics Dean sort of sings, sort of says. There is nothing absolutely definite about what is going on here, a trait that also applies to his other New Zealand brethren, The Dead C. Like them, he does not use any tried and true method. Unlike them, his music gives a certain sense of hope instead of despairing.
“Smash the Place and What Nerves You Got” is the most accessible. Placed in the near middle, it offers an almost respite from what proceeded it. It comes closest to being the “single” in perhaps some other weird world. “Letter to Monday” feels like something out of Tim Buckley’s “Lorca”, just as raw and unhinged.
Yes, this is abstract music. But it doesn’t work purely on a cerebral level, but also a more abstract emotional one. Think of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as an example of what they’re trying to do. Sure, it may be difficult at times to follow but after the album is over, you remember it more for its tender beauty than any academic exercise.