Age of the Sun

Sunshine Fix | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 22, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Emperor Norton
• ASIN: B00005Q36U
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #284,000 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Age Of The Sun

2. Ultraviolet Orchestra

3. That Ole Sun

4. Everything Is Waking

5. Digging To China

6. A Better Way To Be

7. An Illuminated Array

8. See Yourself

9. Inside The Nebula

10. Hide In The Light

11. Sail Beyond The Sunset

12. A 93 Million Mile Moment

13. Mr. Summer Day

14. 72 Years

15. Cycles Of Time

16. Le Roi-soleil

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sublime Evocation of Summer, June 3, 2002

By 

Meyrink (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Age of the Sun (Audio CD)

The cover art depicts a stone Zodiac tuned to the months May through September, with what looks like a sun of rubber bands floating above, while the music therein beautifully expresses an aural equivalent of just that image: exquisitely crafted pop music as sunny and lucid as the season of Summer itself, simultaneously as surreal as a bouncing planet made from rubber bands.
A certain kind of spirituality also seems to be expressed here (fans of The Olivia Tremor Control will be familiar with the joyful yea-saying that permeated that band's two albums), making this collection of masterfully executed pop tunes a healthy fix for the soul as well as for the ears.
Not only are the melodies and lyrics of a sunshiny quality (which is not to say saccharine or in any sense cloying: the emotional level of this music is too real for mere sentiment [this is crystal clear bubbling pop, not treacly syrup]), but they have been enhanced and seasoned with hand claps, electronic effects, bells, xylophone, cellos, mellotron, loops and other delightful ephemera... Brian Wilson's Smile madcap minus the demons that derailed that pop-train.
The world needs more of this kind of stuff.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome the Age of the Sun!!, April 12, 2002

By 

Hildegard Friday "information junkie" (Savannah, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Age of the Sun (Audio CD)

After the Olivia Tremor Control's split into two "halves," thebilldoss (I'll forgive him his ego because I didn't see his picture anywhere in the liner notes, heh heh :)), the obvious "yang" of the duo, has rebounded with "Age of the Sun," the second offering from his side project The Sunshine Fix. Cullen-Hart, OTC's "yin," has graced us with the Circulatory System. Though both are fabulous albums, neither is as good as "Cubist Castle" or "Black Foliage"(I liked the latter better, by the way).

But, if you love eyes-wide-open, Abbey Road-inspired, Cowsills-meets-Elliott Smith SUNNY pop, look no further than this album.

My favorites are Mr. Summer Day (think Paul McCartney meets Skylarking-era XTC) and Everything is Waking (very "It's a Beautiful Morning" -- reminds me of childhood family vacations when my parents would play Rascals tapes).

The only reason this album doesn't quite get 5 stars is because I think parts are a bit too derivative. The acoustic guitar intro to "Sail Beyond the Sun" sounds waay too much like "Dear Prudence," and the instrumental break in "Everything is Waking" is a bit too derivative of "Pictures of Matchstick Men."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To anybody who says this is a lesser form of the Beatles, October 20, 2006

By 

Christopher Ruble "songdiver" (Fort Wayne, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Age of the Sun (Audio CD)

Obviously Bill Doss (and his old parter William Hart) is influenced heavily by the Beatles and the Beach Boys. But Please don't just listen to this album briefly and casually and dismiss it as lesser quality Beatles, or songs that should be Beatle B-sides. To me, as much as I respect the Beatles, Bill Doss holds his own in regards to vocals and how he can produce the albums in order to make it sound like his voice is coming from a hundred different directions, and the harmonies are as good if not better than anything I've heard in music. Personally, I enjoy the way Bill Doss crafts his albums better than the beatles, because it's as pretty and probably trippier if you really listen to it. I'm not starting a debate about who's better, but I'm just saying that Bill Doss's albums are great albums, and deserve much more respect than to be pushed aside because of the similar style and sound. Is it original? Not totally. But I think he has done an amazing job of combining beautiful and melodic songs with the most freakish instrumental arangements I have heard in my life. Overall, I think the craftsmanship of his albums are above anything in any similar genre, or any genre really.

That said, I have to admit this album is possibly as good as Olivia Tremor Control's stuff. It's a close call, but this album probably has more good songs than Doss's other efforts, and this album is a bit more eclectic when it comes to the style of the overall sound. Circulatory System is my personal favorite album from everyone ever associated with Elephant 6, but this album is right on the heals of that album. I recommend listening to this album loud and with decent speakers, so you can get the full effect of the instruments and Doss's voice. It's such a great feeling to listen to the album in my car or house, turned up really loud and hearing Doss's voice echoing around the room and throughout my head. A great experience in music.