Mass Dream
(In the Red)
(out of five)

TV Ghost must have eaten, slept, breathed, and shit Birthday Party records for years. Thankfully, it's mostly to everyone's benefit. The Lafayette, Indiana, post-punk outfit has mastered the breakdown and crescendo in a way that should have Nick Cave cursing the Bad Seeds in his sleep (see "Sleep Composite"). It's these moments that make Mass Dream, but around halfway through, things start to meander. TV Ghost are at their best when they shove tension to the forefront; otherwise, their structures can drag. See: the (great wide) opening of "The Inheritors," the aforementioned "Sleep Composite," or "Wired Trap." Mass Dream is a good record that should have been edited down to a great one. TV Ghost have yet to make their masterpiece, but they've got it in them somewhere.