Georgia Geography Makes Dreams Come True

If Dreams So Real were from Los Angeles, they’d probably be relegated to a mid-week spot at Club Lingerie. Instead, the group headlined there Saturday night to promote its new major-label album, “Rough Night in Jericho.”

Geography has made the difference in the career of what would normally be a pleasant but fairly disposable outfit. The band is from Athens, Ga., spawning ground of such innovators as the B-52’s, Pylon and R.E.M.--which doesn’t necessarily make them the Next Big Thing.

The group is competent enough, its smooth ‘60s harmonies riding a buzzing brand of pumped-up power pop, with occasional Hendrix-like wah-wah excursions thrown in for strong effect. In “Victim,” the band juxtaposed sensitivity and hard textures, with singer/guitarist Barry Marler suggesting the quiet intensity of Neil Young. Bands like this maintain a continuum, creating a pleasant background noize for drinking and dancing and hanging out in smoky clubs. But with the potential power and melodiousness this group seems capable of, you wish they would strive for more than that same old rock ‘n’ roll status quo.