It's generally not a good sign of things to come when the name of the band is misspelled on the CD tray inlay (come on folks!). In the case of Detroit's Monster Island, Dream Tiger is their first release since 1996's From the Michigan Floor, and don't let their name fool you. One might assume that they are a metal band named after that infamous island featured in many a Godzilla film (there's even a tune called "Mothra" here), but lo and behold, Monster Island are an avant-garde, ethnic folk band, who mix some traditional rock elements into their bizarre yet unique sound. Much of Dream Tiger recalls the 60's hippie folk movement mixed in with plenty of psychedelia from that era, as the band uses an assortment of instruments (sitar,tanpura, harmonium, gamelon, African percussion, djembe, guitars, violin, cello, flute, water harp, Chinese organ, gongs, Moog, bass, drums, etc) that shape these songs into anything but modern sounding pieces, which for retro heads should be a big plus. The arrangements are at times hypnotic, the vocals (both male and female) are haunting, and the instrumentation both ominous and trippy. That being said, I think the listener will really need to be a fan of 60's psych/folk music, as there's not much here for the average metal head or prog fanatic, so proceed with caution.
Track Listing
1. Dream Tiger
2. Hob Goblin
3. Dead Father
4. Mothra
5. Halloween
6. I Love Gorillas
7. Ghost at My Window
8. Fantômas
9. I Am a Cloud
10. Lost Souls
11. Cherry Alive
12. Goin' to Nepal
13. Behold the Moon
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