De-rigeur Sunflower has CD power
In the '90s, the driving, bluesy rock sound has pushed its way into the forefront of modern American popular music. Today, many local bands have made it into the national scene by gathering a following from small tours in local clubs along the way.
That's one way to do it -- just look at the original Seattle groups -- and it has become rather commonplace among Texas bands lately. However, the six-year long development of common sounds following common paths is becoming trite. Sunflower seems destined to follow in the footsteps of Deep Blue Something, The Nixons and other such Texas bands.
Sunflower displays great musical talent and great promise on their debut CD, Roundtrip . But, judging from their CD release party performance on Jan. 24, you would not have been able to distinguish them from any other band you can see any other night of the week in a local club or bar.
The performance at the Satellite Lounge featured the Austin band following a short opening by funk-rock band Guest. Taking the stage clad in the now-traditional T-shirts and plaid, Sunflower opened their set with a high-energy rock sound. The band featured three guitars fronting a drummer, all of whom were of notable playing ability. But the disappointing thing about their concert was that it was all too familiar. Their set featuring a rock sound predominantly drenched in distortion and muffled, muttered lyrics wasn't bad, but it's been overdone.
The album is completely different from their live performance. The tracks are much more artistic and entertaining on the album than live. They have so much more feeling and substance than they demonstrated at the Satellite Lounge. The vocals, strikingly under-represented in concert, provide a good addition to their sound and are prominent on the disc.
The one thing that both the disc and live performances have in common is that they prove that Sunflower's strength lies in their lyrical talent. On Roundtrip (as well as in concert), what makes them stand out is their ability to perform their ballads. Songs such as "Promise" and "Summer" -- the hidden track at the end of the disc -- and the notable "Fall Asleep" blend soulful vocals with a better rock edge than has ever been heard from Hootie and the Blowfish. This lyrical talent will allow the band to rise out of the trite mire where bands are indistinguishable from each other.
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the February 9, 1996 issue.
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