The Best Moments From Johnny Marr's Great New Multi-Part Solo Release 'Fever Dreams'

Former The Smiths guitarist and co-songwriter Johnny Marr has been quite active since that famous band dissolved in 1987. With a new late-80s influenced record Fever Dreams, Marr spread 16 tracks across four 'parts,' which work better collected together than as separate chunks. Here are the highlight moments to get you into Fever Dreams.

While most of the songs here weave Marr's signature guitars in with a preponderance of moody keyboards, 'All These Days' puts both in equal measure. The nighttime atmosphere of the track is shown best with this dark song.

A seriously rocking guitar part drives 'Tenement Time,' but Marr's hypnotic melodies that drive the whole album keep things cohesive on this song.

Hushed and moody as your favorite synth-driven soundtrack piece, 'Rubicon' begins with spaced-out keyboards and a spoken word part before transitioning to a transcendent second half.

This song shakes things up for the ending by opening with an acoustic guitar and a proto-Oasis-styled sound that isn't without an atmosphere of its own.

Despite some disconnection from track-to-track, Fever Dreams is a great collection of songs that showcase all the best elements of Johnny Marr's style, a brilliant fusion of new and old sounds. Whether shuffling or listening front-to-back, this album has joys enough for listeners of all types.

Rating: 8/10

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