SLEEPY SUN

Highlights include the atmospheric slow-blues of SLEEPY SON that includes some fine amplified harmonica, and the psychedelic, murky NEW AGE that opens the album. There's not a great deal of melodic interest in some of the lengthy distorted guitar grunge jams, but I guess that's not the point of these pieces. Tarcisio just beat me to the first review of this album, and that review summarizes Embrace very well. For me it's somewhere between 2 and 3 stars; it gets better with repeat plays so I'll be generous and give it 3 stars.

There are some great use of acoustic guitars and the general sound now leans towards a more country/blues/folk approach, although the psychedelic noisy electric guitars are still present on every track, even if the barrage of feedback, distorted sounds, is better used here, and is under more control than before. Drums are still very 60´s styled too, along with those vintage fuzz tone guitars. But Fever´s best features are the new compositions: they are becoming quite original and interesting. The band´s on their way to produce a very own sound and certainly this new CD shows a promising group growing fast.

Conclusion: although this kind of music is not one of my favorites, I cannot deny that Sleepy Sun has its charm and will certainly be quite appealing to the fans of early american pyschedelic rock. I´m looking forward to hear what they´ll do next. I hope they keep developing their music as much. My personal taste keeps me from giving Fever a 4 star rating, but for their general improvement I can´t give it just a mere 3. 3,5 stars is more fitting. Fans of the style, don´t miss this one!

I can´t say I enjoyed the CD too much, though. The group succesfully plays a kind of late 60´s, west cost, blues/country/rock psychedelic music mixed with some modern day garage band sound (specially the white noise, dissonant, guitar parts). It is clear they look for the vintage flavor of San Francisco´s flower Power era (fuzz guitars, sloppy vocals, nice harmonica breaks and tribal drums), with a much better production and the aforementioned new features like some distorted guitar barrages here and there). Sometimes they remind of the Big Brother & The Holding Company (without Janis Joplin, of course): a bit out of control, but energetic and promising. Brett Constantino´s vocals are annoying, but I guess they fit just right in for this style. Rachel Fannan on the other hand has a very fine voice but she is very underused here, a real shame: the few times she sings lead are best sung parts in the whole album. I initially though this group would be a kind of modern Jefferson Airplane, but clearly they are not.

If you´re into this kind of music I think it is worth to check it out. it is only their first and certainly they have the chops to make something more developed. And I hope they come up with better songs next time. The ones here did not move me enough to warrant a 3 star rating. Embrace is definitly to fans of the style and collectors.