Album Review :
Sun Darling - To Japan, With Love (Charity EP)
By Eric Pettersson in Reviews | Comments closed
Artist: Sun Darling
Album: To Japan, With Love (Charity EP)
Label: None
Release Date: March 19, 2011
Reviewer: Eric Pettersson
Tracklisting
- We Aren’t the Kids of a Dying Age
- Strange Currents
- Sciences of Attraction (Acoustic-ish Version)
- Some Sort of Superhero (Acoustic-ish Version)
- Arms of a Mountain (Acoustic-ish Version)
Sun Darling can only be described as electronic folk music. The vocals and song structures will remind you of some of your favorite folk rockers, but the music is clearly electronic based. It’s as if Bright Eye’s dual albums (I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn) had been merged into one record. Of course the quality here doesn’t match such a high caliber of songwriting as that of Conor Oberst, but honestly, who could ever compete with that? The closest comparison for where those two sounds meet is probably Arcade Fire, but even that only puts you in the same general territory and not the exact location of this EP. With songs like “Sciences of Attraction,” a paralyzing amount of heart and emotion is put into the music and lyrics. The catchier songs like “Some Sort of Superhero” have a fun, light-hearted element that reminds me of the alternative rock that was popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Overall: In case you didn’t notice by now, this EP is a fundraiser for the Red Cross’s efforts in Japan. All proceeds go towards that work, so if you feel led to give, why not get some thoughtful and fun indie rock while you’re at it? You can donate and download through Noisetrade or Bandcamp.