Arabs In Aspic - Pictures in a Dream (Remastered) (2023) [Hi-Res]

Pictures in a Dream is the fourth album from Trondheim’s finest prog band Arabs in Aspic. Originally released by the Italian label Black Widow Records in 2013, the album received great immediate feedback internationally and resulted in a good amount of concerts on the continent. Their love for experimenting with sounds and recordings shines through on this album, with some rather unconventional solutions - Using lots of microphones to capture the sound of the room instead of the sources, 9 microphones for the Hammond organ, and so on... This resulted in a lot of tweaking and not so much control – but definitely a different sound than what was common in 2013. A concert with Ruphus and Høst in Bodø in 2010 resulted in legendary Ruphus singer Rune Sundby guesting on two songs on the album.

This re-release is based on all of the original recordings, but everything is re-edited and remixed from scratch. Some of the pitfalls of the many microphones in the room have been removed. Some of the vocals/lyrics have been replaced with lyrics from the archive – and some new ideas, to make the album as good as possible. A few instrumental overdubs have also been done. The result is a more punchy, clean version of the album. The band has also changed the song sequence to create a new listening experience with a quite different mood than the original release.
This is the fourth of six reworked & remastered Arabs in Aspic re-releases on Karisma Records, meticulously mastered by Jacob Holm-Lupo (White Willow, Opium Cartel, Solstein + + +) in Dude Ranch Studios.