ARTIST: VA
TITLE: Annuals/Sunfold-Wet Zoo
LABEL: Ace Fu/Terpsikore/Canvasback Records
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 204kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 17m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-04-01
RIP DATE: 2008-10-23
Track List
----------
1. Annuals - Sore 4:12
2. Annuals - Around Your Neck 2:47
3. Annuals - Just Stay In 3:00
4. Sunfold - Between The Worlds 2:43
5. Sunfold - Watering Pail 4:57
Release Notes:
http://www.myspace.com/annuals
http://www.myspace.com/sunfold
NOTE: Previous rip was nuked for bad pack.
Bands do a lot of weird stuff, but I don't think I've ever seen a band split an
EP with... itself. Same band, but different lineup, see?
But that's what the Annuals are doing in the "Wet Zoo" EP, a lovely little
collection split between them and their musical alter ego, Sunfold. Each band
definitely has its own sound, and you could never mistake one for the other, but
the epic guitarpop meshes well with the eccentric pop melodies and wistful
balladry.
It opens with a gentle, folky guitar melody swathed in gentle bittersweet
strings. And Adam Baker murmurs an exquisite little love song, "In sorest of
times/got your thoughts on my mind... you look three states away/I squint
through the sun/as you leave with the sparrows at dawn."
He gets a bit more agitated halfway through the song, calling out, "I never
deserved you from the start/think you can let loose the walls around my heart"
just as the song erupts into a glorious cacophony of aggressive violins, drums
and guitars... only to droop back into a swirling orchestral ballad once more.
Somehow the EP never quite recovers from the brilliance of that song. But they
do a pretty good job with "Around Your Neck," a devilishly wild rocker filled
with chiming guitar. And after that, it's "Just Stay In," a poignant little
string-laden ballad riddled with what sounds like harmonica.
And then it's time for the Sunfold songs -- more aggressive, more
straightforward, less quirky, and quite heavy on the electric riffs. "Between
the Worlds" is a blaze of sputtery, rather repetitive riffs -- it's pleasant,
but not terribly memorable. That's reserved for the intense, tightly-woven
"Watering Pail," which has the focused energy of a late train trying to make it
on time.
Despite having the same lineup, Sunfold and the Annuals don't sound terribly
similar -- one is all about the tight guitars and powerpop, while the other is
more about eccentric art-rock and orchestral ballads. Nevertheless, you can hear
their styles overlap at times -- "Around Your Neck" is more Sunfoldian, while
"Watering Pail" has moments of Annualesque oddness.
And really, they're both pretty good -- Sunfold basically sounds like the
Annuals embracing a more mainstream pop sound. So we have gentle acoustic
guitars and muscular electric ones (as well as some singing, ringing ones), some
truly outstanding percussion, and in the Annuals songs an undercurrent of
bittersweet, shimmering strings.
Adam Baker and Kenny Florence both put out some good performances as well. Baker
gravitates between wistful, melancholy croons and raucous blues-rock passion,
while Florence's smooth voice takes on the drama. He doesn't sound quite right
in "Between the Worlds," though -- he sounds awkward, as if he's not quite sure
that his singing is on time or not.
Sunfold's straightforward powerpop is not quite as endearing as the pop oddity
of the Annuals, but "Wet Zoo" is a good way to introduce us to the band's alter
ego. Definitely a good listen.