Words could never do justice to describe this collection of songs that are nothing short of seductively ethereal. The third album from these genius musical dream-weavers has become a frequent sound track to my life. These songs conjure vivid circus character imagery, delivered by the sexy white chocolate vocals of Sarah Scott and complimented by rich, lush, textured layers of musical composition mastery. In this genre-defying CD, every track is phenomenal and I never tire of it; this is a task accomplished by few. Give it a listen-- even if you are on the fence pick up a copy. Every time you listen, you will become more memorized with the seductive, dreamy, sophisticated madness of Nine Lucid Dreams. While you're at it, pick up the other two CD's, I promise Two Loons for Tea is addicting.

although nine lucid dreams loses steam as the end of the album approaches it sustains a very solid follow up to looking for landmarks. with zero7 putting out a crummy album and portishead dragging their feet and instuments slowly through the dirt, two loons is a good alternative and at the moment the only trip/hop/lounge/soul album I can wrap my ears around.

Occasionally ethereal but always musically coherent, with a lead singer whose voice is full and lush but not so perfect it deadens you. The tunes are catchy and beautiful and the orchestration is very, very smart. But don't start thinking you know something: some of the tracks are not like the others. This band can go strange all of a sudden -- for example with an oddly successful song called "Dixie it Up" for example. One of their more typical pieces, "Toxic Shellfish in the Sun" (Track 10) is worth the price of the whole CD. But you really should buy the whole album, it's a real treat.

All twelve songs are worth a listen. Others stand out due to their unique vocal or instrumental variation. Scott’s vocals are haunting and powerful, especially on Waiting, Strongest Man in the World, and Eyebrows Are Nature’s Makeup. These three songs are also lyrically strong. Consuela is the only track on Nine Lucid Dreams where Kochmer takes on vocal responsibilities. This song sounds like a poetry reading with Mexican western/spy flick musical accompaniment, making it the most experimental tune on this album. Dixie It Up! is a short old fashioned-sounding ditty. Nine Lucid Dreams is a strong album that gets better with each listen. This time around, Scott and Kochmer decided to record in Texas, rather than in their Seattle home base. It is clear that the change in scenery infused the music on this album with a little salsa and picante. Nine Lucid Dreams is an example in improvisation, risk-taking, and experimentation - more admirable qualities than sticking with what you know and doing what’s easy. It’s a job well done by an intelligent and talented duo.