THE SUNS – My Heroine
The heirs to hippie optimists are the hippie pessimists. Sun-drenched melodies and swirling rhythms are on the minds of the members of The Suns just as much as they were on Brian Wilson’s. But, pop odes to God these are not, but rather messages in a bottle from an uncertain time.
Pop music, of course, is not all about what you can hear. It’s also about you can’t. Music, naturally, is played everywhere where people are bound to congregate. Lyrics and artistic intentions aren’t as obvious in a smoke-filled room as they are when digesting music through headphones.
The Suns, in this particular scenario, are bound to be among the winners. Their gentle, well-written melodies and their warm, expansive sound should serve them well. You can’t really argue with a good tune as, frankly, they’re so few to come by, and this is a good tune, man. Now pass the blunt on the left-hand side, hippie!
Jerry, at the Beach – Summertime
I’m a sucker for music that sounds like someone having a nervous breakdown. Maybe it’s because we instinctively know that people do have them and quite often, although are rarely treated to seeing them play out in real life, and especially in public.
When the sad breakdown is accompanied by music infused with good nature humour, I’m all the more willing to bite. Summertime sounds like a punk song that someone writes on the first try. Sure, some of the kinks may not have been ironed out yet, but the first take of anything is usually the best, mistakes and all.
Jerry, at the Beach is determined not to waste anyone’s time, least of all their own. Hey, after all, the Summertime is a short, fleeting thing. Judging by his wide range of influences, here’s a songwriter that likes his melodies and his three-minute singles. He’s done one better here, shaving one full minute off of his. If the members of the Ramones were still around, they’d dig this.
