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The Big List: Best of 2011 (RSL Blog - Boston, MA)
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SUNSHINE FROM THE NORTH - Buffalo, NY's amazing Son of the Sun have rapidly become a regular listen ...SUNSHINE FROM THE NORTH - Buffalo, NY's amazing Son of the Sun have rapidly become a regular listen at the RSL Compound. No joke, I've listened to this record dozens of times this year and I've managed to see them three times over the last three months. This is the kind of band I would be willing to drive distances to see. Well here's why; there's six songs (nearly a full-length) of quality on this EP. Pick up this album and fall for Son of the Sun's modern and throwback fusion. The tracks are romantic photographs for your music-loving mind.
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“Best Of” List for 2011 (Rock and Roll Report) Cleveland, Ohio
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Son of the Sun Almost Not There The second of two EPs to make their way onto my Best Of list for thi...Son of the Sun Almost Not There The second of two EPs to make their way onto my Best Of list for this year is Almost Not There from Son of the Sun. The six songs that make up this release work well to create one strong, though short, release. The variety in the songs is one of the reasons why I include this CD in this list. Son of the Sun offers up some of the best indie rock this year with their Almost Not There CD. This is one CD I wish was longer than it is.
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Son of the Sun "Almost Not There" Review
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Son of the Sun, a five-piece from Buffalo, NY have produced an excellent EP infused with vintage eff...Son of the Sun, a five-piece from Buffalo, NY have produced an excellent EP infused with vintage effects, minimalist arrangements and sincere songwriting. The musical aesthetic throughout Almost Not There maintains a level of consistency from song to song, creating a streamlined experience rather than a collection of tracks thrown together under one name.
In addition to their well-conceived retro sound, Son of the Sun plays with dissonance and harmony, a theme that can be heard both literally and figuratively in the music throughout the record (major and minor tonalities intermingling in “As Far As Lucy” or a slow, more morose song such as “Fruit Jar” injected with a buoyant bridge). This is also expressed lyrically in “10,000” as singer Zak Ward proclaims “I wanna lay down, I wanna record my dissonance” over upbeat music in the background. This juxtaposition creates an experience that stirs disparate emotions in the listener.
The arrangements are also kept to a minimum, though they produce strong and variant moods in each song. An important contributor to this is the sincerity of the lyrics, and Ward performs them dynamically with strength, vulnerability and candor.
Almost Not There provides a snapshot of a band that has a well developed sound and thoughtfully crafted songs, prompting the notion that contrary to the title of their EP, Son of the Sun has arrived.
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Son of the Sun: Almost Not There
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White Bluff, Nashville, and Middle Tennessee music aficionados, Son of the Sun will officially relea...White Bluff, Nashville, and Middle Tennessee music aficionados, Son of the Sun will officially release their latest EP Son of the Sun: Almost Not There today (July 26, 2011) on the I Blame Yoko Music label. This album is the follow up to their first full length LP The Happy Loss (2010). The new EP and its collection of six songs see no stylistic departure from Son of the Sun’s formula for producing melodic soft edged rock music. Think well written Lo-Fi, psychedelic, nostalgia rock similar to Oasis, Blur, or The Traveling Wilburys. Despite the nostalgic and familiar qualities of Son of the Sun: Almost Not There their sound never comes off as trite or a mere imitation. In fact, the sound is genuine and the bands artistic integrity remains intact as the album seamlessly combines classic and contemporary sounds and sensibilities.
The EP’s first track “As Far as Lucy” is an up tempo guitar driven tune that rocks and slurs its way into your consciousness with a brazen cockiness that will have listeners hooked from the first notes. The vocal performance on the album’s second track “10,000” has all the swagger and smoothness of a Roy Orbison or Carl Perkins song. Furthermore, the pessimism and darkness of the lyrics are juxtaposed against the up tempo rhythm and confident vocal delivery on the song. “Fruit Jar” is another stand out song that for the most part moves along in ¾ time, until the psychedelic sounding bridge and chorus’s distort the tune ala the Beatles “Sgt. Peppers.” The song almost sounds like Syd Barret attempting to perform a country tune after dropping a large dose of LSD or mescaline.
Zak Ward, Joseph Stocker, Jeremy Franklin, Steve Matthews, and Brandon Delmont collectively known as Son of the Sun have made a superb album that is both classic and contemporary. The combination of British pop with American psychedelic-blues based rock sounds works extremely well for this band. Music listeners of many genres including rock, country, pop, blues, and americana will enjoy this album and should not hesitate to add it to their collections. Expect to see a lot more from Son of the Sun in the years to come as this star has just started to burn and from the sound of their new EP they are ready to shine. For more information on Son of the Sun or to purchase their newest music you can find them at http://www.sonofthesunmusic.com/. You can also catch them on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Son-of-the-Sun/53098113102 and on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/sotsmusic.
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SON OF THE SUN | Almost Not There EP
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Son of the Sun originate from Buffalo, New York, but one of the better songs on their newest EP, “Al...Son of the Sun originate from Buffalo, New York, but one of the better songs on their newest EP, “Almost Not There”, finds lead singer Zack Ward singing poetically about good old England with gliding slacker bravado: “I‘ve seen your Henry’s England / I’ve seen him wear his shiny crown / Parading on the streets, in the lovely shops of London town …” That’s about as English as this band gets. Son of the Sun build songs on bouts of combustive electric guitar like sun flair ups, stomping percussive beats, and a 60s psychedelic mentality — but this time around they’ve added something else. It’s the addition of a romantically waltzy, countrified “Fruit Jar”, and the inclusion of the poppier rock sound of a song like, “10,000?, with its melodic backing vocals, and bursting 50s-styled drums. In the latter, Ward sings about trying to find his mojo: “I got to find, I got to find some confidence / Believe in pushing the line into arrogance / Shine a light in opulence / Now turn it off / I’ve never been happy in decadence.” The album opener, “As Far As Lucy”, begins with rollicking guitar and these blazing lyrics: “I see the signs, see the writing on the wall / But I don’t know if I care to (look/love?) …” Since “The Happy Loss” and “Before the After”, Son of the Sun haven’t been interested in taking it slow out of the gate. The music generally says pin your ears back and get ready. The band has always been high-octane. But now they’re showing off even more of their versatility, and their ability to rock out with acoustic guitar, pretty vocal moments and pop melodies. In “Don’t Worry” Son of the Sun shows it can combine their two sides — beginning the track with a drowsy bar-room rhythm that transforms into soaring guitar, backing harmonies and a strange bass sound with serious girth and growl. It’s like some wild, tripped-out, drunken hoedown you don’t ever want to leave. Note: To see the band live: July 22 at the Ulrich City Center, Lockport, N.Y. or July 23 at The Happy Dog in Cleveland, Ohio. – David D. Robbins Jr.
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DIG Boston - Defend Yourself with SON of the SUN
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Son of the Sun blew us away back in October when they played Beast of the Northeast, our first ever ...Son of the Sun blew us away back in October when they played Beast of the Northeast, our first ever shindig in New York for CMJ. Now, the Buffalo boys are back—but this time on our turf. Their Joe Stocker tells Duck Tales.
You opened for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes in Buffalo. What was that like?
It was great. It was exciting for us to play with a band who we currently listen to and think are an amazing, relevant band. They’re making quite a big splash—and really smart music—so it was great to do a live show with them.
It was absolutely amazing. Like going to church, sort of.
You guys must deal with typos all the time.
No, it happens. We get “sons” of the sun sometimes, but we have a really good sense of humor about ourselves. If I see a name I think would be a cool name or title, I write it down. To my knowledge, [Son of the Sun] is from William Blake’s poetry—
but if you Google “Son of the Sun” a cartoon from Duck Tales comes up. That’s not what I was inspired by. It just sounded good.
Your latest album, Almost Not There, is about to drop?
An EP, yeah. We’re excited about it. Six songs, called Almost Not There. We’re happy with it. It’s definitely a progression of us, as more of a band—and not just as a studio singer that’s trying to get people together.
If you had to describe the EP in three words, what would those three words be?
Probably “almost not there.” [Laughs]
It’s a very delicate process, being in a band. Whether you’re super successful or not, you’re dealing with four or five egos, emotions, hang-ups, feelings and ideas. It’s interesting to see the finish line, and we’re grateful for that.
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MUSIC PROFILE: Son of the Sun
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Son of the Sun is a sensational Buffalo quintet of psychedelic splendor and rock 'n' roll grit. Its ...Son of the Sun is a sensational Buffalo quintet of psychedelic splendor and rock 'n' roll grit. Its sound gets way out there, while remaining relevant and accessible. It's big and bad and beautiful with its multiple layers and dimensions. Yet go and ask guitarist-keyboardist Joseph Stocker and he'll tell you it's really simple.
"It really is," Stocker says. "It's simple in the writing. A 12-year-old could play these chords. The instrumentation and the layering and the arrangements and the sounds that are picked, I think is what delivers it in a slightly more... I don't want to say sophisticated, but it's not like a Ramones' song." He pauses for a minute on the phone and clears his throat before pulling a 180.
"In actuality the songwriting is like a Ramones' song," he says. "I just think the layers really hide it. But its nuts and bolts - if you write out the chords, it's just three chords."
Son of the Sun and its three chords came together with Stocker and vocalist-guitarist Zak Ward in 2007. Ward was on the left coast, but the two worked via internet.
"I would send him instrumentals," says Stocker. "I would write all the music and record all the music and he would write lyrics for them."
It's when Ward returned to Buffalo in 2008 that Stocker says things began to flourish. "We put out a 7'' EP and people really liked it," he says, referencing the "Before the After" project. "So we put a band together." From then on the band included Stocker, Ward, guitarist Jeremy Franklin, bassist Steve Matthews, and drummer Brandon Delmont. Son of the Sun played its first show at The Hard Rock Caf? in Niagara Falls, which went over remarkably well.
"We were kind of shocked it didn't flop," Stocker says. "So we booked another show and it just snowballed."
Son of the Sun released its first full-length album, "The Happy Loss," (produced by Mike Brown) in 2010.
What is both beguiling and intriguing about this band is the blending of influences, almost to the point of anonymity. Where is the sound coming from, exactly? The genres and predecessors to Son of the Sun's wail aren't readily apparent, though Stocker is ready to rattle off a list.
"Personally," he says. "I do like older music; 60's stuff, obviously. The Beatles, Dylan, Bowie. But I really love pop like Roy Orbison and doo-wop, The Everly Brothers, stuff like that. Some bands have an immediate retro sound, and I love that kind of stuff. But I love modern records, too, like Wilco and the Flaming Lips and The National. You can really go both ways, you can totally make a lo-fi throwback kind of sound, but we try to blend them both."
Still, Stocker believes the pursuit of originality may be in vain. "It's a funny thing," he says. "Whenever you get three chords together and it's apparently a new song, really it's a Buddy Holly song. My only rule is, it has to be simple." Simple as in, this band doesn't jam.
"Everything's arranged in practice or in recording," says Stocker. "I feel we really don't go too far, we just really try to put a lot of energy and emotion without sounding like ‘American Idol.' We just try to put everything we have into it at the time. We really don't doodle."
Son of the Sun is wrapping up work on its forthcoming CD, tentatively called "Almost Not There." Then the band plans on putting rubber to the asphalt.
There are two ways of deciphering a band or predicting its path; listen where it is or listen to where it was. Son of the Son is so steeped in its own sonic elegance that it is perhaps easier to listen to where it could go if given the option to go backwards 10 or 20 years. Stocker hazards a guess.
"I don't know, man" he says. "I'd like to have been something off Creation Records. American music was obviously pretty bad until Nirvana. British music was still cool; Oasis, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen. I think it would depend where you lived. I think just good pop music with a little twist."
Like Son of the Sun does now. "Yeah, we're trying," Stocker says. "Underneath all the crap, it's just a pop song."
Son of The Sun
w/Animal Pants, Auld Lang Syne
Saturday, April 16
Bug Jar, 219 Monroe Ave.
8 p.m. | $6-$8 | 454-2966
sonofthesunmusic.com
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See You There!
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Buffalo psyche-rockers Son of the Sun have wrapped up their new EP, Almost Not There (I Blame Yoko R...Buffalo psyche-rockers Son of the Sun have wrapped up their new EP, Almost Not There (I Blame Yoko Records), but don’t let the title indicate otherwise—this band is definitely “there” in terms of talent and number of quality performances they’ve given since forming in 2007. They recently opened for Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and Blue Oyster Cult at Thursday at the Square and Artpark respectively, and are slated to play with Our Lady Peace at the Hard Rock Café and the Tea Party at the Molson Canal Series in July. Their new single “My Best Mistake” is a deep, dark garage-pop anthem with psychedelic guitar swirling over lead singer Zak Ward’s gloomy blues vocals. Son of the Sun have proven they belong on the big stage, but before you go see them among the masses this summer, be sure to hear them up close and personal at their EP release show this Saturday (June 25) at Nietzsche’s. Here Come The Comets and Kingsley Flood open the show. —jon wheelock
Read more: http://artvoice.com/issues/v10n25/see_you_there#ixzz1QJhXVl22
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'The Happy Loss' makes the Artvoice Best of 2010 list
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Even in the age of digital downloads and shortened attention spans, the good news is that the album ...Even in the age of digital downloads and shortened attention spans, the good news is that the album is not dead. This year proved to have some of the finest full-lengths in years. Singles alone be damned: long live the long-player!
SON OF THE SUN
The Happy Loss
(I Blame Yoko Records)
If you’ve seen any big acts this past year, chances are you were fortunate enough to catch Son of the Sun opening the show. Already poised with plenty of national attention, Son of the Sun are doing their city proud. Old meets new with vintage style and modern delivery with hip-swaggering rock tunes that never lack in the element of class.
BIG THANKS to everyone for all the local and regional support in 2010!
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Photographic Evidence - Son of the Sun at CMJ BIG
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"Son of the Sun are one of the best new bands in America.
Get In on this Now!" - Ryan Spaulding, rs..."Son of the Sun are one of the best new bands in America.
Get In on this Now!" - Ryan Spaulding, rslblog.com
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Performer Magazine Review - October 2010 Issue
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RECORD REVIEW: Son of the Sun
The Happy Loss
By: John Barrett
With a timeless sound that both...RECORD REVIEW: Son of the Sun
The Happy Loss
By: John Barrett
With a timeless sound that both modern and nostalgic, Son of the Sun combines classic, Beatles-esque melodies with distorted, reverberated guitar layers that recall the likes of Brian Jonestown Massacre and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. For the most part, the songs that comprise The Happy Loss stand well on their own and are ambitious on their own terms: concisely arranged and driven by simple, attractive chord progressions, yet still stylistically elusive, often culminating in a chaotic, polyphonic crescendo of sound.
Another consistent element that pervades The Happy Loss is lead vocalist Zak Ward's reverb-soaked, impassioned vocals, which channels The Black Keys in terms of timbre and lends the music an unpretentious air of raw emotion. His contemplative lyrical style draws upon themes universal enough to make them instantly relatable, such as loss, deceit and learning to make the most of an unfavorable situation - reflected in the album's title.
Some of most captivating tracks include the bouncy garage-rock of "Get Together," raucous rocker "The Franklin," which recalls the sparse piano-guitar interplay of Spoon, and opener "The Good Ole Days," which begins with drumbeat a la Gary Glitter's "Rock & Roll, Pt. 2" but dispels that similarity with its psychedelic-shoegaze guitars.
Of the mellower material, "How Can It Be?" stands as Son of the Sun's strongest ballad, sporting doo-wop vocal hooks replete with airy, celestial harmonies. "April Fools" rides on its gorgeous slide work married to an appropriately slow, somber musical framework. (I Blame Yoko Music)
http://www.myspace.com/sonofthesunmusic
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HEAVEmedia.com reviews 'The Happy Loss'
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Son Of The Sun Takes Sound To New Lengths
Buffalo's Son of the Sun propels personal style on 'The...Son Of The Sun Takes Sound To New Lengths
Buffalo's Son of the Sun propels personal style on 'The Happy Loss'
Son of the Sun The Happy Loss
Released on Jun 22, 2010
Many bands try to smash together all of their favorite things and make a mess. Let’s face it, as much as a person can love Neil Diamond, Public Enemy, and Justin Timberlake it’s hard to find a cohesive stylistic link between all three. It takes a good band to find what works for all of them and construct a style that they can all operate in and still enjoy. Buffalo’s Son of the Sun has adapted all of their favorite genres into one massive wall of sound. On their latest full-length album The Happy Loss one can hear 50s pop, So Cal surfer, indie rock, alternative country, psychedelic rock, and even a little bit of shoegaze permeating through ten tracks. Better still, all of these things combine perfectly together.
The Happy Loss exudes a sense of warmth normally heard on vinyl records. Lead singer Zak Ward’s vocals positively soar over the slow ballad “How Can it Be?,” each bass note ringing smoothly over the sounds that they’ve built themselves over the years. With music like this, this warm vinyl sound really pays off. Each track crackles with vintage intensity without pandering to keeping it strictly old school. Tracks like “Leopard Print” sound like they’re right off of some hip soundtrack. From “Leopard Print”’s opening alone it’s hard not to imagine watching a scene of you and a significant other zipping down a desolate road in a car, the sun setting behind you. This recording style seems to be getting more and more popular as people are starting to realize how bland mp3s and m4as can be. For some it doesn’t add anything to their recordings but for Son of the Sun it makes The Happy Loss go that extra mile.
Son of the Sun keeps their love for surfer music on The Happy Loss but adds a certain twang that wasn’t present on their previous EP Before the After. Production-wise this album sounds much more like an alt-country album like Cardinology meeting the new/old style of Brian Williams on Smile. It’s something that’s been done before but Son of the Sun adds something that puts them apart from the pack. The problem is I can’t pinpoint it. Where many rocker/country acts find themselves in Nashville and neu-surfer bands in California and Brooklyn, Son of the Sun hails from Buffalo, New York. If you’re not familiar with the musical history of Buffalo don’t worry, most people aren’t. It ranges from Ani DiFranco to the Goo Goo Dolls to Cannibal Corpse. How the hell did Son of the Sun find their sound amongst so many odd bands? Either way I’m glad they found it. Son of the Sun is a band that has a defined style but is ready to rewrite it at any time. Listening to The Happy Loss is like listening to a melting pot of my music collection - soulful songs, hard-hitting guitar riffs, and that surfer girl sound washing over everything.
Posted by Amy Dittmeier on Sep 21, 2010 @ 10:10 am
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Hybrid Magazine Review - September 2010
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Listening to the track "Get Together" conjured up images of Thom Yorke fronting a surfy, psychedelic...Listening to the track "Get Together" conjured up images of Thom Yorke fronting a surfy, psychedelic rock band; but that' just how strange The Happy Loss by Son Of The Sun can seem at times. There are also moments when The Jesus And Mary Chain is fondly recalled, particularly during "Keys (Last Call)". It's as though snippets of other bands/songs jump out while this disc plays. For another example, Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" somehow comes to mind with "How Can It Be?" But correct me if I'm wrong; Dylan never worked regularly with a banjo player in his band? "The Franklin", with its jingle bell percussion, sonic-name-drops The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, even though one would be hard pressed to make any other connection between Brian Wilson's approach, and that of Son Of The Sun.
This group also proves it can create a straight out pop-rock song on "Get Together". It sports organ, and a relatively clean recording. Another 'clean' song is "Stay The Same", which alternates between a chunky electric guitar riff, and dreamy guitar sounds. And for no particular reason, there is also a garage rock solo on it. This album closes with "Tell Me", which - with its gently propulsive bass line - might easily pass for a Morrissey ballad. There's a lot to chew on here, that's for sure. Son of a gun, music fans, you'll have big fun with Son Of The Sun!
-Dan MacIntosh
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Juxtapoz Album Review
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We Got The Beat: Son of the Sun (album review)
Review by: Randi Hernandez (http://www.missomnime...We Got The Beat: Son of the Sun (album review)
Review by: Randi Hernandez (http://www.missomnimedia.com)
Son of the Sun doesn’t just have a clever band name – the name of their record company, I Blame Yoko Music, is equally as brilliant. In terms of the band’s sound, I personally blame Tom Petty, the movie Reality Bites, and the early 90’s for their simple (albeit pleasing) debut offering, The Happy Loss.
The members of Son of the Sun got to know each other in the same way as most music geeks do – by sharing their musical tastes over the internet through file-swapping. Son of the Sun formed in early 2007 with two members living on opposite sides of the country. Joseph Stocker (guitar, keyboards) lived in New York and Zak Ward (lead vocals, guitar) lived in California. After Zak moved back to Upstate, New York, the duo went on to add Jeremy Franklin (guitar), Steve Matthews (bass), and Brandon Delmont (drums), and shortly afterward (in 2008) they recorded their EP, Before the After. Although the band has been described as “melodically detailed rock” by their managers and handlers, their sound can best be labeled “soft rock” – Not the soft rock on the radio airwaves of your local “Lite” channel – but soft rock before it was for pussies. Lead vocalist Zak Ward sounds thrillingly similar to a male version of Juliana Hatfield, and the band provides instrumentation that seems lightly coated in the psychedelic syrup of The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour. Standouts of the album include the soulful “How Can it Be?”, which would be perfect on an angst-ridden soundtrack for a flick boasting a “love gone wrong” theme, and “April Fools”, which could also work well in the aforementioned movie genre – during, of course, a flashback montage of the happier times. Sometimes the sonically simple songs are the most effective, as they are the ones that make your heart ache the most. Look, let’s put it this way – not all records can be written by music theory students, or lyrics by poets. But even when writing about peanut butter sandwiches, Shel Silverstein had the power to move his audience. Such is the case with the music of Son of the Sun – It is straightforward, yet still satiates.
To get more information about the band and upcoming gigs, please visit their website at www.sonofthesunmusic.com or their myspace page. To see the band in action, also please check out their Youtube page.
Juxtapoz review link: http://www.juxtapoz.com/26077-we-got-the-beat-son-of-the-sun
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'Stay the Same' Placement on MTV's Real World XXIV New Orleans Episode 9
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Episode 9 of Real World XXIV New Orleans on MTV
http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/554024/missing-lin...Episode 9 of Real World XXIV New Orleans on MTV
http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/554024/missing-lines.jhtml#id=1646121
http://www.mtv.com/videos/..real-world-new-orleans-ep-9-..fired/1646117/playlist.jhtml
The placement is between 35:21 and 35:54
(instrumental)
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Ryan's Smashing Life Blog (Boston Show Preview)
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EXCITING NEW MUSIC - Rolling into Boston sometime over the next few hours for the inevitable music b...EXCITING NEW MUSIC - Rolling into Boston sometime over the next few hours for the inevitable music bedlam that accompanies great rock bands on the rise, Buffalo's Son of the Sun are someone you should get to know. My immediate thought on listening to the band is that their a cross of two of my all-time favorite bands: Band of Skulls (the amazing new British atmospheric rock trio I have fallen for in a very big way the last 12 months) and the semi-retired Greenhornes (whose percussion and base were stolen by Jack White and Brendan Benson to form The Raconteurs.
As is the case with many musically familiar modern bands, the players from The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes dipped from the well of bands like The Animals and The Zombies and The Kinks. .So there is a clear British Invasion element here (which I have found, historically, irresistible - if done well) but I digress. Son of the Sun have a brand new album and it falls into the familiar, loving recesses of this listener's mind.
The Happy Loss (to which you are listening as you read these words) was co-produced by Mike Brown and the band. It was recorded in part at Temperamental Recordings in Geneseo, NY and mixed by Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse, Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker) at Sound of Music Recording Studios in Richmond, VA.
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Their Bated Breath: THE HAPPY LOSS | Son of the Sun
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ON YOUR RADAR: Son of the Sun is a band that won’t be toiling in regional obscurity for long. Zak W...ON YOUR RADAR: Son of the Sun is a band that won’t be toiling in regional obscurity for long. Zak Ward coos softly, sounding a bit like Coldplay’s Chris Martin. His band will undoubtedly receive all kinds of comparisons, from Interpol to The Kinks and the Kings of Leon. But maybe Son of the Sun more closely resemble a combo of Brit-rock and San Francisco’s Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. This Buffalo, N.Y band is built around Ward’s gorgeous voice, layers of textured harmonies and lots of guitar delay. The most impressive thing about Son of the Sun’s new record, “The Happy Loss”, is how comfortable it all sounds, considering the number of genres the band pulls together. They mix Americana, psychedelia, alt-country and guitar-groove rock with a garage-rock sensibility. Sometimes the kitchen-sink approach makes an album feel like it isn’t unified. But this doesn’t happen on “The Happy Loss”. Son of the Sun have melded all those elements into their own unique style. This is a band with serious commercial appeal, that still maintains a high level of songcraft. Ward sings achingly about relationships, loss and love: “And I will take you out tonight / Wear your leopard-print / And I will sing the song for us / I haven’t tired of that yet / I hope you’re not tired of that yet.” The album-closer “Tell Me” might be the only misstep on this record. It’s a 50s-styled slow-waltz closer with chimes, that feels lyrically light and a bit too perfect of an album wind-down. But that’s hardly a complaint. This is a great debut album. – David D. Robbins Jr.
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Fensepost.com | Son of the Sun: The Happy Loss [Album Review]
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Do you have an itch in your neck for some old-school-influenced, void filling, and harmony driven ro...Do you have an itch in your neck for some old-school-influenced, void filling, and harmony driven rock and roll? Are you looking to show your father some “new shit” that he might very well approve of? Well, look no further than Son of the Sun’s debut full length album The Happy Loss. Joseph Stocker and Zak Ward, masterminds behind the operation, have a strange sensibility to themselves when it comes to creating the constantly sought “wall of sound” that so many musicians strive to create.
The album’s highlight track, “The Other Side”, would fit amazingly well on your iTunes playlist between Jefferson Airplane and Rush (many fathers’ favorite for some strange reason). The track clocks in at an even 3 minutes, pulls out a touch of surf rock into the well-timed equation, and is an overall joy to endure. The equally catchy, and just as enjoyable quick cut, “Get Together”, might be a bit more updated for dear old Dad with it’s out-of-the-ordinary pop-punk feel. The overall playlist for The Happy Loss is solid. Son of the Sun have a keen understanding of the benefits of guitar-driven harmonies and tantalizing keyboard euphoria.
This New York based band of not so-contemporaries might just be what the mainstream world needs right now. These could very well be the guys that knock Kings of Leon back down off the pedestal the no longer deserve after their latest travesties (pretentious? maybe; whatever). But, when it comes to pure-hearted and perfectly obtuse rock and roll, The Happy Loss hits the proverbial rock dolphin right on the bottle nose of potential mass appeal.
6 JULY 2010 WRITTEN BY RON TREMBATH
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KEXP "out this week" mention
KEXP "out this week" The Happy Loss mention.
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Innocent Words Review - 8/22/10
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Son of the Sun’s debut album, The Happy Loss, is a beautifully melodic, yet heartbreakingly gorgeous...Son of the Sun’s debut album, The Happy Loss, is a beautifully melodic, yet heartbreakingly gorgeous piece of work. This is the type of moody rock that can waver in and out as you sit around and relax on a gorgeous summer’s night. Listening to the album, it is obvious that these tracks are all expertly crafted by this Buffalo, NY, group. Son of the Sun have an excellent tendency to produce melodic tracks that still remain highly reminiscent of garage psychedelia from years past. Some of the tracks on The Happy Loss would fit right in with a Nuggets release.
Album standout, “The Other Side,” is a haunting bit of rock supported by multiple harmonies and guitars that echo in and out as lead singer Zak Ward recalls a recent breakup. The Happy Loss is filled with a few mid-tempo numbers, such as “The Other Side” with others like the moody “How Can it Be?” and the beautiful outro “Tell Me.”
Son of the Sun is not shy to turn things up a bit every now and then on The Happy Loss as demonstrated by rockier tracks such as “Stay the Same” a true garage rock throwback and “The Good Ole Days” a tough-spirited classic rock track.
The Happy Loss is an exciting debut album from Son of the Sun and one that deserves to be taken together as a whole. It isn’t too often that an album dealing with a loss ends up being this enjoyable. The Son of the Sun’s loss is our gain.
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Son of the Sun shines at the Square by Jeff Miers
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Son of the Sun shines at the Square
BY JEFF MIERS
NEWS POP MUSIC CRITIC
Published: July 02, 2010,...Son of the Sun shines at the Square
BY JEFF MIERS
NEWS POP MUSIC CRITIC
Published: July 02, 2010, 12:30 am
http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/07/02/1101575/bright-spot.html
It was all about 1997 on Thursday. For better or worse. Mostly worse. Happily, Buffalo’s own Son of the Sun opened this week’s Thursday at the Square and delivered a short but incisive set that proved to be the evening’s best. Performing songs from the recently released “The Happy Loss” album, and finishing off with a torrid take on Lou Reed’s “Rock & Roll,” the band proved itself the equal of groups like Interpol and Kings Of Leon with an inspired collection of songs. Would that all of Thursday could’ve attained this level.
So on to Ed Kowalczyk, then. With Live, the man delivered some of the most yearning-infused anthems of the middle ’90s. Songs like “Lightning Crashes” and “I Alone” seemed to tap into the zeitgeist of a generation wishing for a populist inclusion that it would be denied. No way to get that without selling out, right? I mean, Creed happened, didn’t it? And it’s about to happen again.
Kowalczyk minus his bandmates in Live is an awful lot like Live. But the sense that any of it matters has been obscured by the passage of time. Once Kowalczyk seemed to be the cheerleader at a pep rally announcing some new way forward. Now he just seemes like the guy who stayed at the party way too long.
With an able band backing him, Kowalczyk certainly didn’t embarrass himself. He sang well, and was an able frontman. However, something seemed to be going seriously amiss as he cavorted about the stage, intermingling bad Bon Jovi moves with ill-timed crotch-thrusts. The end result was akin to a bad aerobics video with a halfhearted ’90s grunge sound-track. Clearly, the man is in need of a way to move forward.
There were not many moments of genuine mid-’90s anthemic brilliance happening, though. Live’s “The Dolphin’s Cry” revealed the tinge of Eastern philosophy Kowalczyk adopted in the late ’90s, and few could’ve denied the power of any of the “Throwing Copper” material the singer summoned forth.
Sadly, though, all of this came across as a sort of oldies act, a pageant celebrating the glory day of grunge. Live was never really a grunge band. Kowalczyk should reconsider his career’s path. He is clearly capable of better.
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Battlemouth.com Album Review
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Son of the Sun was formed in early 2007 from opposite sides of the United States. At the time, Josep...Son of the Sun was formed in early 2007 from opposite sides of the United States. At the time, Joseph Stocker lived in New York and Zak Ward lived in California, and the two friends and former band-mates experimented with their reflective, lush musical tastes over the internet, swapping files which eventually brought about their first EP in 2008. After Ward moved back to New York, the duo went on to add Jeremy Franklin, Steve Matthews, and Brandon Delmont, and the band were soon tagged as a band to watch in the upstate New York music scene. Son of the Sun have now self-released their debut full-length album, The Happy Loss, and it’s an album that’s well worth checking out.
Son of the Sun are undeniably a guitar band, with layers of textured harmonies and a rich Americana-flavoured sound. The Happy Loss is a comfortable blend of dreamy 60’s pop, garage rock, psychedelica, and alt-country. Kicking off with the stomping “The Good Ole Days”, the album easily shifts through the band’s wheelhouse of musical styles, keeping it pretty unpredictable as to what the next track will be.
Ward’s voice is an interesting listen. With touches of Josh Homme, Damon Albarn, and Eddie Vedder, his vocals are an integral part of each track, shaping and defining. The rest of the band joins in on most tracks, delivering multiple backing vocal lines reminiscent of older styles of music, and culminating in the closing classic 50’s ballad-style track, “Tell Me”.
While The Happy Loss is solid Americana at the core, there is an underlying British feel to the music. Some tracks have a certain Beatles-esque feel to them, while others have an undercurrent of Britpop flowing through them. Combined with Ward’s laidback vocals, Son of the Sun often sounds like what I imagine it’d be like if Damon Albarn led Queens of the Stone Age.
Perhaps in keeping with its name, The Happy Loss is an odd but working juxtaposition of moods. The guitar-rich music is melodic and upbeat, yet there’s a feeling of sadness that comes through. Ward’s style of vocals contributes strongly to this feeling, making the music sound like someone who’s trying to keep a brave face while going through a woeful time. However, this doesn’t create a downer for the listener, but rather sets a theme for the overall listening experience.
Lyrically, the melancholic theme continues, bringing us an album full of tales of loss and personal heartbreak. The lyrics are fairly simple, relaying narratives of mishandled relationships, desperation, and other such common themes. Just like reality, The Happy Loss shows us that life doesn’t always provide a happily-ever-after ending and one may never come to terms with that, but that’s okay as that’s part of being human.
The Happy Loss is a good listen, and the band have hit a solid winner with their debut album. With rippling melodies and well-presented variety, I agree that they are a band to watch, but not just within the upstate New York music scene; look out world, here comes Son of the Sun.
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Aiding and Abetting Record Review 'The Happy Loss'
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..If the Brian Jonestown Massacre trafficked a bit more in americana, it might have sounded somewhat.....If the Brian Jonestown Massacre trafficked a bit more in americana, it might have sounded somewhat like this. These are 60s-ish anthems drenched in organ, reverb and the odd tendency toward rootsy jangle.
It's not an unwelcome notion, as it also recalls the Jayhawks' Sound of Lies, which remains one of my favorite albums. This album, too, is largely stoked by dark thoughts and darker lyrics. It's never grim, but bliss isn't a word I'd associate with these songs, either.
I do like the sound, which notches a fine balance between the minimalism of the songwriting and the lushness of the arrangements. The final result is something of a "let it wash over you" feel. Certainly, standing up to the assault is not recommended.
Just plain good, really. Solid workmanship and stellar execution. This one started well and just got better. Take a dip and you'll go in for the plunge.
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Americana UK Album Review
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Son of the Sun “The Happy Loss” (I Blame Yoko Music, 2010)
by: Paul Villers
Sunshine on a rainy ...Son of the Sun “The Happy Loss” (I Blame Yoko Music, 2010)
by: Paul Villers
Sunshine on a rainy day
Of chief biographical note with this band is that the two main protagonists used to live on opposite sides of the States, swapping musical ideas over the internet. All of the press and reviews I’ve read in researching them mentions it so I suppose I’d better do the same. No matter – they and their band mates all ended up in New York and they do have a very New York sound which is the oxymoronic feat of being both ‘spare’ and ‘lush’ at the same time.
They’re a guitar band in essence, acoustic and electric, with bits of keyboard thrown in ('Leopard Print' threatens to be a rehash of 'Strawberry Fields' at one point). What they do with those guitars is pretty nice though – by turns they jangle, sparkle and spike but never quite settle on one or the other. Similarly they sometimes stomp about (opener 'Good Ole Days' and 'Get Together') and sometimes relax into a calmer groove ('How Can It Be?' – a song of trouble and heartbreak – is in this vein and probably the album’s standout track).
Despite these stylistic changes, the project does hang together (the vocal helps, naturally) in a melodious moroseness. The overarching feeling one gets is that sunny California pop has been taken to New York and given a very cold hosing down – which is, by all accounts, what happened. Kudos too for calling their publishing company ‘I Blame Yoko Music’ – that’d guarantee a smile every time.
Date review added: Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Reviewer: Paul Villers
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Babysue.com 'The Happy Loss' CD Review
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Son of the Sun - The Happy Loss (Independently released CD, Pop)
Son of the Sun originally started ...Son of the Sun - The Happy Loss (Independently released CD, Pop)
Son of the Sun originally started out as the internet-connected duo comprised of Joseph Stocker and Zak Ward. After working together electronically Zak moved (back) to New York and the pair completed the band by adding additional members Jeremy Franklin (guitar), Steve Matthews (bass), and Brandon Delmont (drums). You may think --considering the way the band was formed--that Son of the Sun is a techno/electronic pop band. But nothing could be further from the truth. These guys create classy/classic pop/rock using traditional instruments. And all those annoying little modern techno tricks that you usually hear in modern pop don't even rear their ugly little annoying heads on this album. The Happy Loss features songs...very strong songs with dynamite melodies backed with really solid playing. Nothing standard and predictable here. These tunes are mature and intelligent...and they sure don't follow well-worn paths. All ten tracks hit the target, but particular standout cuts include "Good Ole Days," "Leopard Print," "April Fools," and "Tell Me." Top pick.
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The Hype Machine and Large Hearted Boy Blog 'Get Together' Daily Download
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'Get Together' featured on Large Hearted Boy and The Hype Machine Blogs as 'Daily Download'.
The ...'Get Together' featured on Large Hearted Boy and The Hype Machine Blogs as 'Daily Download'.
The Hype Machine: http://hypem.com/#/artist/son+of+the+sun
Large Hearted Boy: http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2010/05/daily_downloads_2290.html
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Midpoint Music Festival Review / Cincinnati City Beat Review
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"SON OF THE SUN (Buffalo, NY): Like a gift from the sky, Son of the Sun is coming to serve up a plat..."SON OF THE SUN (Buffalo, NY): Like a gift from the sky, Son of the Sun is coming to serve up a plate of their southern tinged New York retro R&B rock. Equal parts Velvet Underground and Kings of Leon, their harmony layered cuts of sonic satisfaction will leave you begging for seconds." --- mpmf.com
A flood of adjectives immediately comes to mind upon exposure to Son of the Sun's music, lush, affecting, shimmering, languid, dreamy and ethereal, to name a few, via five guys who surely have albums by everyone from Gram Parsons to the Velvet Underground scattered amid their Buffalo practice space. Truth in advertising: If the son of the sun actually formed a band, this impressive sonic sigh would probably what it would sound like.
Dig: Mazzy Star fronted by a dude, The Beatles in slow motion, lazy Sunday mornings. --- Cincinnati City Beat
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The Big List: Best of 2011 (RSL Blog - Boston, MA)
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SUNSHINE FROM THE NORTH - Buffalo, NY's amazing Son of the Sun have rapidly become a regular listen ...SUNSHINE FROM THE NORTH - Buffalo, NY's amazing Son of the Sun have rapidly become a regular listen at the RSL Compound. No joke, I've listened to this record dozens of times this year and I've managed to see them three times over the last three months. This is the kind of band I would be willing to drive distances to see. Well here's why; there's six songs (nearly a full-length) of quality on this EP. Pick up this album and fall for Son of the Sun's modern and throwback fusion. The tracks are romantic photographs for your music-loving mind.
supersonic
