Apollo Sunshine Gets Noisy, Birdmonster Gets Too Comfortable

More from my Metromix stash, pals of Morphizm. This time around, I take a dive into 21st century pop music, in all its deviation, derivation and divination. That’s a mouthful, which is the problem. Birdmonster and Apollo Sunshine talk a bit too much, given their sonics. There is some quality folk, pop and rock to be had here, but these are two bands who could have benefited from more time in the studio. On acid, to be exact.

Apollo Sunshine, Shall Noise Upon
“Shall Noise Upon” is a fractured good time. The nine-second title track is experimental noise, yet it is but an appetizer for the hellish stomp of “Brotherhood of Death.” Meanwhile, airy ditties like “Breeze” and “Singing to the Earth (To Thank Her For You)” show off the band’s gift for sincere melody. And then there is the trip-hop feedback politics of “666: The Coming of the New World Government,” the garage cacophony of “Wolf Frog White,” or the acoustic folk of “Money” to figure out. Apollo Sunshine never lets you get comfortable, even though it never skips a fragmented beat. MORE @ METROMIX

Birdmonster, From the Mountain to the Sea
While Birdmonster’s heart is in the right place, it’s an acquired taste. (Mmm, hearts.) The urgent “Iditarod” and breakneck “Greenland Sound” are rocking confessionals, while the similarly energetic “New Country” stakes its claim to louder territory. Meanwhile, the Dion-ish “My Love For You” and the meditative “Concrete Lights” are understated tone poems put to music. But by the time one gets to the sedate crawl of “Residue,” one is more than ready for the second half of the song’s noisy climax. As urgent as Birdmonster’s sophomore release sounds, it still needs a good kick in the ass. MORE @ METROMIX

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