Codeine Dream Loop, Matthew Hayes, LP

Veteran bassist of 30/70, Z*F*E*X, Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird and more, enigmatic composter and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Hayes returns with an album of twenty-two vignettes that draw upon loops, fragments, demo recordings and samples from his entire back catalog, creating a pastiche of lost fragments and memories that unite to form a seamless whole of ambient and experimental work. Bass guitar, drum kit, string sections, bells and more merge with vocal samples, field recordings, fragments of previous works and unheard demos to create a patchwork quilt of warm, hallucinatory compositions. This collection, titled Codeine Dream Loop, plays upon the hazy dream-like states that come upon us all at various times. Says Hayes - "I wanted to capture a bizarre phenomenon that I sometimes experience while sleeping, usually if I've taken some pain or cold medication where I get stuck into a dream loop. A weird thought pattern, memory or surreal dream scenario loops around and it's tricky to free myself of it!" Assembled at his studio in Coburg on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi wurrung people in late 2021, the record, like many seen this year, has been deeply influenced by Melbourne's extended lockdowns during various stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, a period that lasted a staggering total of 263 days in isolation. "I think that all that time spent in quietness out of the hustle and bustle and in self reflection inspired me to excavate the last 6 or so years of musical ideas into something new. And a collection of music that feels like a book-end on this period of my life." So we are presented with six years worth of fragments, recordings, ideas and dreams, a window into the first phase of an artist's career as a solo composer. The record is intimate to say the least, sometimes deathly quiet, sometimes breaking into song like a sunbeam through cloud. Samples on the record include guest appearances from many of Hayes' frequent collaborators: Joel Trigg, Josh Kelly, Hannes Lackmann and more. It was mixed by Hayes before being mastered by Joseph Buchan in Melbourne, also known for his own fragmentary work under the pseudonym Other Joe.