Sunfold - Toy Tugboats Album Review (2008)

Another review for Altsounds.com.


Sometimes life is complicated being a musician. Bands and alliances are formed, side projects, solo efforts and other distractions because not everyone is the same or has the same energies. Sunfold is made up of such musicians. The band used to be Sedona before 'trademark issues' forced a name change and is the sister band of the, arguably more successful, side project The Annuals. So far, so uncomplicated. But the arrangement is not quite that simple. It is unclear as to which band is the 'side project'. The Annuals is lead by Adam Baker and Sunfold's front man is Kenny Florence and they are both in each band which also share the same musicians. The basic idea is that the two bands are the same but have different singers and songwriters. So this interesting concept of split motivations and influences fuels the duality.

Like their philosophy for life, Sunfold don't do simple. Each song on 'Toy Tugboats' is packed full of different instrumentation and ideas, so much so that often the songs are not immediately apparent. Instead of flow and structure, there is a collection of guitar sounds, a keyboard melody or drum beat, or some soft distant vocals. Everything feels meticulously planned and pieced together while at the same time, improvised and random. Consequently Sunfold have no one distinctive sound.

When it works, the songs are compelling. Opening track 'Oregon' is filled with wonderful expressive Satriani-esque guitar work and strings. The song starts and stops with drama and Florence is superb, his voice full of passion and energy. 'Sailed Off To Sea' is the soft country rock centrepiece with every space filled with various guitar sounds as Florence grasps with some clumsy vocals. "Every time I get a little closer, I find out that I'm right where I started", he sings and vents his frustrations of trying to find answers to life and love while ending up with more questions. A weird high pitched vocal spoils the mood slightly and it sounds a little 'ordinary' compared to most of the album. Likewise 'Sara The American Winter' starts as fairly standard indie but develops into the best song on the album. It is wonderfully written: "I'm dusting my books because I want you to think I'm read" is a great line. After a brief interlude of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' vocals and some sampled thundery rain, the song heads off into an ambient lull before coming back again, louder and harder, before a fade. 'Shapeshiftin'' takes the country rock vibe one step further and just about gets away with it.

Jazz features in several places on the album with mixed results. 'Gnosis' is a wonderful slice of poetry wrapped up in guitar and bass led trad-jazz. Florence echoes this feel for about two and a half minutes before things get very strange and head off in a more cluttered direction for the ending. The great lyrics are lost in the music. 'To Wake The Eye' takes the same approach but from a different angle. Again the guitar work is excellent but Florence is in psychedelic mood: "You are dripping with infinity" is the best line. 'Osk' continues the theme but quickly becomes one big cheesy guitar break.

There are only a few major down turns. The reggae influenced 'Shrinking The Sphere' doesn't quite work. Florence gets too high on the vocals and the constant sharp percussion is a nagging distraction. The electronic stylings of 'Gorgee De Rubis' is a brave attempt at something different but is a real mess. Closing track 'Holding The Charm' appears to be more jazz but is stuck between two sounds and is just a bit dull.

The music of Sunfold is challenging and engaging. Most of the time the music and vocals sound like they are from different songs. It is very difficult to really like 'Toy Tugboats' because of the constantly shifting themes and moods. But you cannot deny the talents on show. Kenny Florence is an interesting song writer and he is surrounded by good company. Whether Sunfold is a more vibrant freedom of expression than the constraints of The Annuals, or merely an excuse for self-indulgence, is a continuing matter of debate.

-- CS (for Altsounds.com)