Daydream Forever

The work of Kamtin Mohager, The Chain Gang of 1974 is actually a compulsive trip through the '80s—and Daydream Forever is a continuation of the synth-heavy, reverb-laden dreams that made Mohager’s debut album, Wayward Fire, an immediate favorite of the retro set. Production is thicker here, with more elastic bounces. If that means it feels like you’ve stepped into an '80s night at the local bar (as one reviewer humorously put it), then Mohager has clearly succeeded. This is the guy who wasn’t moved to make music until hearing Tears for Fears in the movie Real Genius, says the legend; when tracks such as “Ordinary Fools,” “You,” “Moksha," and “Death Metal Punk” hit you firmly across the ears with their indelible '80s-styled hooks, everything is working according to his lo-hi-tech plans. Elements of Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, OMD, M83, and Foster the People coalesce into a party of their own. “Plum” ends things on a slightly darker Prefab Sprout–style tone.