SUNSHINE FIX – Green Imagination (SpinART)
There has not been a new album by The Olivia Tremor Control for far too long, so to tide us over mainman Bill Doss has put together Sunshine Fix and recorded an album that, while still having that twisted pop sound that make OTC such an intriguing band, is more accessible for the novice. Someone who had never heard his dayjob might be forgiven for thinking that this was recorded in the late 60’s, but the production gives the game away with the drums on the opening ‘Statues And Glue’ echoing around the song. Harmonies abound on every track, from the Lennon influenced ‘What Do You Know’ to the lovely ‘Papers Fall’. ‘rx’ is Beatles/Byrds/Beach Boys all rolled up into one, with an extended coda trying its best to outdo ‘Hey Jude’. ‘Afterglow’ is a bouncy little number which adds a powerpop element to the album, and ‘Enjoy The Teeth’ uses piano to introduce the song before a string quartet quietly infiltrates, then when the band kick in the tune takes off into another dimension. ‘Runaway Sun’ starts as a beautiful acoustic number, with harmony vocals over gracefully picked guitar, then halfway through it develops into a great pop/rock song, and then just to confound us they stick a Polyphonic Spree style choir on the end. The strange thing about this album is that it covers so many different styles, and yet they all seem to complement each other perfectly without any of them sounding out of place. Imagine a mixture of all your favourite psyche/pop bands and you will have a rough idea of how good this album is. If that is not enough to tempt you, then the CD also comes with a free DVD of five videos, and in my book that makes a bargain
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