The Sun Blindness - 2007 - Like Pearly Clouds

Quality: 4.5 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 5 out of 5

Usually when I hear a locally based band, I have trouble taking it completely seriously. I start thinking "Well I could do it better," or "Wow, that sounds like a poor man's (insert name of famous band)." Not so here. After hearing the Sun Blindness' album I instantly became a drooling fanboy. I'm up at almost 3:30 in the morning compelled to write about this duo. This completely obscure release from Australia quickly rocketed into my top five albums for 2007.

The Sun Blindness manages some completely narcotic sounds from the onset of opening track "Our Glassy Selves." Once we get past that fine intro we find ourselves in a forest of psychedelic sound for the length of the records. There are perfect webs of guitar layered with the sparsest percussion. It recalls, but doesn't copy, the Spacemen 3 sound circa Playing With Fire. Possibly topping that classic psych band, the Sun Blindness manages to fuse the softer side of Sonic Boom's drones with the proto-spiritualized sound of Jason Pierce's songs in a way that the Spacemen were never able to do. I also hear the influence of the completely ethereal Flying Saucer Attack with a hint of the pop touch of the Elephant 6 bands.

Some of the highlights here include "Flash In The Cosmic Pan," which is like a 60's pop song boiled down to it's psychedelic essence. The gauze relaxes just a bit for the psych-folk "It's Only 3am," and then returns in its full-on, yet subtle droning force on "A Trip In A Painted World."

The only thing holding this back from a full five star rating is a little lack of diversity. The songs here inhabit the same world of sound, but a fine one it is. This is the kind of album that you simply have to let wash over you and take over. Being only a debut, I hope that the Sun Blindness finds the stamina to continue. I wouldn't be at all surprised if these fellows managed to create a complete classic down the road; this one is certainly a contender already. Make sure to visit their myspace site at: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=10585814

Buy Me:
The Sun Blindness - 2007 - Like Pearly Clouds