A Shoreline Dream

A Shoreline Dream represents the third project from core duo Ryan Policky and Gabriel Ratliff, sharing thematic threads across their work while diverging musically each time. Policky, based in Denver and handling vocals, guitars, and synthesizers, first teamed with drummer Ratliff in the art rock band Pure Drama, whose sound evoked Radiohead. That outfit issued On the Surface in 2001 and followed it with a self-titled release in 2003 before dissolving. Policky and Ratliff then recruited Björk-like vocalist Sarah Marcogliese, previously of Look Eye, to create the downtempo, dance-oriented trio Drop the Fear, whose only album appeared in 2004 under the same name and earned positive notices, though the partnership proved short-lived. Shifting to lead vocals himself for the first time, Policky brought in guitarist Erik Jeffries and bassist Enoc Torraca, yielding the more experimental A Shoreline Dream. This lineup fused the sweeping, intense textures of post-rock acts such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Sigur Rós with the pop-inflected, dance-friendly energy of early-1990s shoegaze bands. Their initial outing, a self-titled EP issued by Latenight Weeknight in May 2006, contained four extended atmospheric pieces; the full-length Avoiding the Consequences arrived shortly afterward in early fall.