Like the dramatic landscape they call home, Calgary's
Reuben and the Dark specialize in panoramic folk-rock that builds slowly like a rainstorm across a rolling prairie. Prior to 2014's
Funeral Sky, frontman
Reuben Bullock issued a pair of solo outings that detailed his transformation from indie folk lone wolf to nuanced ensemble leader, setting the table for a more cinematic approach.
Bullock's journey continues on
Arms of a Dream, the band's second release for the Arts + Crafts label, which sees them expanding into lusher, pop-oriented territories. Enlisting a small army of producers, including Canadians
Stephen "Koz" Kozmeniuk and
Graham Lessard and American Adrianne "AG" Gonzalez,
Reuben and the Dark summon their powers and play to the back seats, building dense textures and Walls of Sound to convey a world caught between dreaming and wakefulness.
Bullock has a knack for amping the introspective into the epic and does so nimbly on highlights like "Wildlife" and "Dreaming," the latter of which indicates the pop-forward direction they seem to be heading in. At times,
Arms of a Dream falls a little too melodramatic, with misfires like "Hallelujah" and "Woke Up a Rebel" struggling under their own weight, but for the most part, the band feels right at home in their chosen branch of expansive folk-rock. ~ Timothy Monger