Customer Reviews

Age of the Sun

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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."

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.

I feel like this album could have easily served as the B-side to the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour album. The high pitched British-accented vocals are very Lennon-McCartneyesque, and the regular, unrelenting snaredrum that defines the beat to virtually every song is almost exactly the same as what we would hear from Ringo. So if you want lower quality Beatles-like music from 1967, go ahead and enjoy the album!

Listening to this excellent album side by side with the recent Circulatory System release is almost a completely satisfying musical experience. It does, however, underscore how two great songwriters like Bill Doss and W.C. Hart can complement each other. That said, this first full-length release by Doss's band stands strongly on its own, and stands in upbeat contrast to the moodier CS effort of last year. I strongly recommend this album to anyone remotely interested in Olivia Tremor Control. This is one half of a great songwriting team at the top of his game.

"Age of the Sun" by Sunshine Fix is a good collection. Its experimental mix of 60s-style pop melodies and unusual electronica that is sweetly attractive. "Mr. Summer Day" has airy harmonies that would have fit on a record by the Association with a pretty pulsing melody and some electronic noodling. My favorite track is "A Better Way to Be" with its John Lennon meets Brian Wilson vocals and its gorgeous melody, "Did you know that's not the way it's supposed to be?" On the final Sun King track "Le Roi-Soleil" the over 9-minute holding of a single note was a bit more experimental than I care to follow. However, overall this is an interesting disc that I went back and picked up after becoming entranced by "Green Imagination." Enjoy!

This is a great record.
Olivia Tremor Control fans generally break into two camps:
People who think Dusk at Cubist Castle is better then Black Foliage
and... people who think the reverse is true.
The former set will love this record. It is poppy with out the ground up wind-up-toy sounds of the latter.
I love both OTC records but my feelings just run deeper for Dusk.

I bought this album for the same reason I believe most people do; I loved The Olivia Tremor Control and wanted to hear more. But, while this album is essentially the "poppier" parts of The Olivia Tremor Control, something is lost in the transition. Perhaps it is the absence of Will Cullen Hart, but for me the album did not live up to my expectations, and I found it somewhat disappointing. Not to say it's bad, but certainly Circulatory System and Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't are better spin-offs. And the last track, I hate to say, is utterly pointless... and this from someone who loves even Explanation II, which is entirely instrumental and mostly lacking melody. So I would say, if you're just looking to hear more OTC-type music, try the other side projects first. Keep in mind, music is completely objective, feel free to form your own opinion and disagree if you like.