Silver Sunshine's self-titled debut suffered a bit from monotony. Sure, it was pretty and it had some good ideas, but over the course of an album, the band's sunny psych-pop rock style quickly ran out of steam, and the record ultimately didn't hold up to repeated listens. Had the band trimmed it down, it would have made for a stronger record. After all, if you're not doing anything radically different, the more tracks you have means the quicker your weaknesses show. This proved frustrating, because one couldn't help but feel that Silver Sunshine wasn't living up to its full potential.
Fortunately, the band's latest offering, A Small Pocket of Pure Spirit, is a lean, five song EP that quickly displays their talents, and they've toned down their retro-rock tendencies. Their songs are still glazed sugary-sweet psych-pop, but they've been tempered with a more contemporary sound. Sure, "Another Day" is a nice little acoustic Kinks-like ditty, but "She's The Reason" and "Waiting For The Sun" are more in line with bands like Spoon and Of Montreal. The final track, "Hiroshima Never Again," differes from both genres, as it's a wonderful little instrumental psych-rock jam that's recalls early 90s British bands like Primal Scream and Stone Roses. Although it's brief, the songs are definitely catchier than their debut album, and A Small Pocket of Pure Spirit bears--nay, causes repeated listening.
So maybe it's time to reevaluate Silver Sunshine--or at least forgive them for their debut album, because this little record finds them moving way beyond those awkward baby steps. A Small Pocket of Pure Spirit proves to a large cache of positive expectation for this young band's next record.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.silversunshine.com
Label Website: http://www.empyreanrecords.com
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