You can’t accuse me of it if I admit it first: I’m jumping on a bandwagon. You can’t call me a follower if I just don’t care. You can’t bring me down when I’m pumping out “Dream City”, the awesome new jam from recently DFA-signed feel-gooders Free Energy.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Free Energy emerge this week with an infectious anthem that has the musical and lyrical wisdom of a veteran rock band’s final goodbye, rather than a pop group’s nascent beginning. But this is only apart of the appeal. “Dream City” situates the absurdly-named “Free Energy” smack in the middle of our synapse, and they haven’t missed a step. Not much complex here, just great, good, clean night-after rock fun. “It’s a 70s rip-off,” scream the petulant curmudgeon’s in Brooklyn Vegan’s comment section; I wouldn’t know, I didn’t live in the 70s.
A raucous guitar provides our backdrop while a brass section adds the flare atop community-oriented sing-a-longs. The “na na na’s” that close the song out show this lyrical technique is alive and well. “Hey, we’re coming out! Dancing downtown, free, like whatever we dream about,” the song emphatically begins. Unlike other anthems, “Dream City” isn’t content to stand alone, it extends the invitation for us to help chant in the rapturous chorus or simply sway our heads back and forth in enjoyment.
“Dream City” lyrics:
Hey, we’re coming out
Dancing downtown
Free like whatever we dream about
And we’re moving through the night
Cruising across town,
Lost in the endless sound
And the sea’s alright
But the streets are all safe
And you know deep down
You can find a better way
Tired of feeling bad
So don’t you wonder why
You keep telling yourself it’s alright
When the stars are shining on you
When the street lights are far beyond you
When the dream lights are turning on
Then you know where you are
When the stars are shining brighter
When your heart is beating lighter
When you love without desire
Then you know who you are
Hey, we’re coming out!
Kids across town!
Dream like there’s nothing to scream about
And we’re riding through the night
Trying to get around
In love with the electric sound
But it never feels right
And it’s never okay
Cause we know that every night’s gonna end some day
Tired of feeling bad
But don’t you wonder why
You keep telling yourself it’s alright
When the stars are shining on you
When the streetlights are far beyond you
When the dream lights are coming on
Then you know where you are
But the stars are feeling colder
If you believe in what they told you
You get older, and it’s over
Do you know who you are?
Free Energy – “Dream City”
MP3 Download
May 29th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
this is really positive. rad!!!!!!!!
May 30th, 2009 at 4:47 am
love this … play count’s already past 20 after downloading … look forward to the full album!
June 1st, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I hear they are playing The Bell House in Brooklyn on 6/15 with this great new local band Diehard (myspace.com/diehardnyc) and this fantastic Irish band So Cow.
Ok, I’m in Diehard. Still. FYI.
September 17th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
I love this song every time i listen to it i feel mellow and happy inside
December 20th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
with free energy we can now imagine the benifits of bein able to turn on the lights or the heating without worring about the heavy bills from the utility companies.
February 6th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
I’ve just heard it on the radio, it’s a fantastic lyric, you’re right! very positive, a happy song for everyone