Dream Cop, known to the his friends as Tommy Davidson, submitted a couple tracks recently and they have really stuck with me.  The name of his musical outlet sat a little bit funny with me (as most things related to the police do) so I thought I would do some investigating.  Tommy told that the name of the band is pulled from William S. Burroughs’ Interzone, and that put my mind a little more at ease.  Davidson started making music under the name Dream Cop in December of 2009, and  hails from Blacksburg, VA which is the small college town where Virginia Tech is located, as well as the home of Wild Nothing (now signed to Captured Tracks).

“Marooned” is a great introduction to Dream Cop showing that not only does Davidson have a pop sensibility he can also create an upbeat rock songs while incorporating aspects of psychedica, glitchy electronics, shoegaze, and at times a beautiful haze of white noise to bring a whole additional layer to a track that already has so much depth.  Davidson’s vocals smooth over the track giving a vibe that is both familiar, and new.

[mp3] Dream Cop- “Marooned”

While “Marooned” is the track that initially caught me “Beach City/ Carol, I Know” can’t be discarded.   This track exemplifies Dream Cop’s ability to slow down and create something more delicate.  Almost giving his pop an ambient air. Dream Cop borrows lyrics from the Beach Boy’s “That’s Not Me” and “Caroline No” (which was originally titled “Carol, I Know”), and presents to us, not a cover, but his own reinterpretation of these classic pop lyrics.

[mp3] Dream Cop- “Beach City/Carol, I know”

Dream Cop is one man, and after hearing these songs you know that he is a talented person incorporating many instruments, and mastery of his recording process. Between these two tracks Dream Cop has shown depth and diversity, and I’m excited to hear his upcoming release on Output Noise Records.  Davidson has also said that there are several remixes in the works.  I hope all of these things will be shared with us in the near future.

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• This is part of my Speed Dating series.  You can read more about singles I have featured in this series here.