Any music created by an artist is a microcosm of their world and Akhil Sahni tries to give us a glimpse into his world through his track ‘Dream’. A stark departure from his works like ‘1368’ and ‘On My Birthday’ which were primarily guitar driven, he creates an ethereal soundscape that falls in line with a well written piano ballad; and you can’t really go wrong with a good piano ballad, can you?
The song captures the feelings of being lost in a world with someone you love through its surreal lyrics and a beautiful voice. The lyrics evokes a lot of visuals and appeals to our senses. Akhil does a great job of phrasing his lyrics to make it all feel organic to his voice and with l the right notes in all the right places. The small snippet of a recording serves a brilliant cherry on top of what is a great vocal line and lyrics, but more importantly, a great story.
A simple arrangement sits beneath and does a brilliant job of setting the scene. Opening the song with spacey synth sounds and piano, gives us an idea of what we can expect. The dreamy (pun intended) piano line that opens the track, can be heard throughout the track providing a sense of familiarity with a hint of surreal feelings (courtesy of Major 7th and suspended chords). Adding a guitar to this soundscape augments it by drizzling a tiny bit of colour over the piece; however certain parts can sound a little busy within the mix.
But all this sets up the ending which transports us into a different part of the universe by using piano voicings and key changes reminiscent of something out of a Disney movie. It both shows us a new side of the song and brings us back home with the synths that opened the song, creating the effect of waking up from a dream and providing the song and the listener with a sense of closure.
The track is a simple yet mesmerizing piece of music that creates a world of its own and does an amazing job taking you around it.
Verdict: An ethereal journey through a simple soundscape drenched with beautiful emotions and storytelling.
