Ultraviolet battle hymns and true confessions

"The Dream Syndicate's willingness to roam freely through different sounds has always been of the band's strongest assets, outweighed only by their ability to make the transitions seem effortless. If the results have tended over the years to confound listeners who wanted more stuff like the previous stuff, maybe 'Ultraviolet...' represents a kind of truce: The band's various approaches to these 10 songs mean there's something here for any Dream Syndicate fan".

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"['Ultraviolet ...' is] every bit as imaginative and uncompromising as what they conjured when they were noisy heroes of the paisley underground; [Steve] Wynn drew on Neu!, Brian Eno, and prog rock as touchstones while writing and recording this music, and the cool, steely minimalism of this music makes room for guitars without depending on six-string fireworks to push this music forward. On Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions, the Dream Syndicate aim for mood and atmosphere rather than showing off their chops".

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"These 10 tracks kick over history's traces with melodic post-punk, noir-ish motorik grooves, art-rock Frippery and '60s garage punk. All of which suggests a directionless grab-bag, but 'Ultraviolet...' demonstrates both purpose and renewed vigour".

"Gus Seyffert adds electric guitar, bass and synth to Korkejian's vocals, guitar, keys and (on one song) drums. Other players weigh in on mandolin and strings ... [The] effect is palpable warmth, rather than her customary soft breeziness, and there's a surprisingly robust swing to some of the treatments, notably on lilting opener "The Solitude" and the slow waltz that is "This Machine", with its organ trills and guitar twang. If Korkejian's first two albums could broadly be categorised as folk, then 'Waysides' is more country inclined, though it's country by way of California, with a golden glow and immaculate analogue production ... It's the kind of listen whose rich but unfussy loveliness belies its deeply personal lyrics".