The compositions are firmly grounded within traditional musicality and structure.  Each begins with a sonorous and multi-faceted 'head' melody played and expanded upon by Evan Arntzen, who plays clarinet, tenor or soprano saxophone, depending on the song.  There is not much dissonance here, and no abrasive sounds or aggressive playing.  There is a sultry, exotic atmosphere to the entire record that would make it perfect for a romantic dinner.

The distinctely contrasted tones of the clarinet/sax, string bass and drumset allow for a transparent, tight sound made all the more legible by the trio's impeccable musicianship.  They have perfect control of groove, rhythm, tone and dynamics.  Each member is listening closely to the other two, and knows exactly when to hang back and take a supporting role. "Do Your Thing", in particular has many amazing moments in which the string bass and saxophone play complex, irregular melodic lines in perfect unison with little to no percussive accompaniment to guide them.

Rather than walking basslines, string bassist Josh Cole prefers busy, repetitious syncopated riffs.  There are more notes than one might expect, but his performance is smooth and confident and it never feels like he is struggling to keep up.  The off kilter interplay he creates with the more straightforward rhythms laid down by the saxophone draws the sound of the record significantly closer to fusion, and is one of the best things about the record.

If there's any problem with the record, it's that it's a bit on the academic, "safe" side of jazz.  The only real embarrassing moment, though, is a thankfully brief chorus vocal at the end of "Imagine It", which comes off as a pale throwback to the days of Return to Forever and Steely Dan.  The lyrics, phrasing and timing are awkward ("If you can / imagine .. it! / Imaaaagine it!") and the singing is offkey.  It's an anti-climactic finish to an otherwise great track with a lot of clever rhythms and interesting chord structures.  I am glad no vocals were attempted on the rest of the album.

The band closes the album with a new rendition of Bjork's ballad "You've Been Flirting Again", a plaintive melody I instantly knew I'd heard somewhere before, but couldn't place at first.  Without Bjork's dramatic vocal to draw the spotlight, the band opens a lot of space in the song, especially in the second half when the bass dances to higher and higher octaves, allowing the melody, delicately handled by Arntzen, to cascade into the stratosphere.  As good as Bjork is, I might like this take more than the original: the absence of Bjork's overly simplistic romantic lyrics gives the song a pleasant universality of meaning.

The October Trio's "New Dream" is an album that will challenge no one's conceptions of jazz, but is none-the-less full of beautiful, sonorous music, and far too substantial to be termed 'smooth'.  I highly recommend this album to listeners who like their jazz melodic and gently intellectually stimulating realms rather than raw, chaotic and intense.