The wonderful thing about a song like "Lady Daydream" is the way it represents that timeworn, chicken-and-egg enigma: Which came first, the sound or the concept? The track's seductively ethereal sound so nicely complements the words that, at least as a listener, there's no way to pin down which element inspired the other without a little research. Luckily, Twin Sister -- the Long Island quintet that authored this gem -- happens to be forthcoming about its creative process, openly posting demos to its website.
"Lady Daydream (Cassette Version)," available on the band's site, helps settle some questions here: The words provide connective tissue between the demo and the final aesthetic, although the musical skeleton remains intact. A proper kit has replaced the drum machine with little change to the beat, the introductory synth melody has a more full-bodied timbre, and a reverb-drenched guitar steps in for the secondary synth line in a particularly successful adjustment. Textural manipulations like static, mini-drones and graveled percussion help round out the sound, along with the repeated piano note -- a touch which gives the piece the same sort of immediacy as Broken Social Scene's "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl."
Basically, the comparative success of "Lady Daydream" doesn't lie solely in improved fidelity, so much as a far more nuanced set of tone colors: By the time singer Andrea Estella coos, "If you forget it all, I will bring it with me," the atmosphere has listeners hooked. The ability to carve out a space like that -- to emulate a mood that's already mapped out in words -- is no easy feat, and yet Twin Sister makes it sound effortless. What a difference a second draft can make.
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