This Is Our Jam: Blood Diamonds, “Dreams”

It’s been a pleasure to watch Vancouver producer Blood Diamonds (aka, Mike Tucker) come into his own over the past year. Since last fall, when he dropped the Balearic-tinged “Heart,” Blood Diamonds has released a steady flow of music, each track representing a slight evolution from the previous release. Among these were the glittery haze of “Lasting Love” and the rave-indebted buzz of “Grins.” Now, with his latest single “Dreams,” Blood Diamonds gives us an even clearer sense of where he’s headed.

“Dreams” is a soulfull R&B-inflected pop number that combines chopped beats with Sade-indebted smoothness. Vocal duties are taken up by an electronically-altered Tucker, whose natural voice can occasionally be heard as a counterbalance to the pitch-shifted highs and lows. While other Blood Diamonds tracks were obsessed with the somnolent and sexual, “Dreams” feels especially hopeful and wide-eyed, with the gender-warped vocals creating a strangely evocative one-man romance. When Tucker’s voice does shed its electronic machinations, the lyrics “I hope your dreams are as good as mine / And I hope you sleep just fine” are given a particular sweetness and emotional heft. After the stylish glitz and haze of past releases, this new pathos is a wonderfully moving next step in the Blood Diamonds narrative so far.

“Dreams” is being offered by as a free download by The Pop Manifesto.