BuzzChips Excellent Review of Almost Not There

Son of the Sun "Almost Not There" Review

Son of the Sun, a five-piece from Buffalo, NY have produced an excellent EP infused with vintage effects, minimalist arrangements and sincere songwriting. The musical aesthetic throughout Almost Not There maintains a level of consistency from song to song, creating a streamlined experience rather than a collection of tracks thrown together under one name.

In addition to their well-conceived retro sound, Son of the Sun plays with dissonance and harmony, a theme that can be heard both literally and figuratively in the music throughout the record (major and minor tonalities intermingling in “As Far As Lucy” or a slow, more morose song such as “Fruit Jar” injected with a buoyant bridge). This is also expressed lyrically in “10,000” as singer Zak Ward proclaims “I wanna lay down, I wanna record my dissonance” over upbeat music in the background. This juxtaposition creates an experience that stirs disparate emotions in the listener.

The arrangements are also kept to a minimum, though they produce strong and variant moods in each song. An important contributor to this is the sincerity of the lyrics, and Ward performs them dynamically with strength, vulnerability and candor.

Almost Not There provides a snapshot of a band that has a well developed sound and thoughtfully crafted songs, prompting the notion that contrary to the title of their EP, Son of the Sun has arrived.

Hybrid Magazine reviews The Happy Loss

Hybrid Magazine Review

9/22/10

Listening to the track "Get Together" conjured up images of Thom Yorke fronting a surfy, psychedelic rock band; but that' just how strange The Happy Loss by Son Of The Sun can seem at times. There are also moments when The Jesus And Mary Chain is fondly recalled, particularly during "Keys (Last Call)". It's as though snippets of other bands/songs jump out while this disc plays. For another example,Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" somehow comes to mind with "How Can It Be?" But correct me if I'm wrong; Dylan never worked regularly with a banjo player in his band? "The Franklin", with its jingle bell percussion, sonic-name-dropsThe Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, even though one would be hard pressed to make any other connection between Brian Wilson's approach, and that of Son Of The Sun.

This group also proves it can create a straight out pop-rock song on "Get Together". It sports organ, and a relatively clean recording. Another 'clean' song is "Stay The Same", which alternates between a chunky electric guitar riff, and dreamy guitar sounds. And for no particular reason, there is also a garage rock solo on it. This album closes with "Tell Me", which - with its gently propulsive bass line - might easily pass for a Morrissey ballad. There's a lot to chew on here, that's for sure. Son of a gun, music fans, you'll have big fun with Son Of The Sun!

-Dan MacIntosh

Full Article here: http://www.hybridmagazine.com/reviews/0910/sonofthesun.shtml

HEAVEmedia.com reviews 'The Happy Loss'

Son Of The Sun Takes Sound To New Lengths

Buffalo's Son of the Sun propels personal style on 'The Happy Loss'

Son of the Sun

The Happy Loss

Released on Jun 22, 2010

Many bands try to smash together all of their favorite things and make a mess.  Let’s face it, as much as a person can love Neil Diamond, Public Enemy, and Justin Timberlake it’s hard to find a cohesive stylistic link between all three.  It takes a good band to find what works for all of them and construct a style that they can all operate in and still enjoy.  Buffalo’s Son of the Sun has adapted all of their favorite genres into one massive wall of sound.  On their latest full-length album The Happy Loss one can hear 50s pop, So Cal surfer, indie rock, alternative country, psychedelic rock, and even a little bit of shoegaze permeating through ten tracks.  Better still, all of these things combine perfectly together.

The Happy Loss exudes a sense of warmth normally heard on vinyl records.  Lead singer Zak Ward’s vocals positively soar over the slow ballad “How Can it Be?,” each bass note ringing smoothly over the sounds that they’ve built themselves over the years.  With music like this, this warm vinyl sound really pays off.  Each track crackles with vintage intensity without pandering to keeping it strictly old school.  Tracks like “Leopard Print” sound like they’re right off of some hip soundtrack.  From “Leopard Print”’s opening alone it’s hard not to imagine watching a scene of you and a significant other zipping down a desolate road in a car, the sun setting behind you.  This recording style seems to be getting more and more popular as people are starting to realize how bland mp3s and m4as can be.  For some it doesn’t add anything to their recordings but for Son of the Sun it makes The Happy Loss go that extra mile.

Son of the Sun keeps their love for surfer music on The Happy Loss but adds a certain twang that wasn’t present on their previous EP Before the After.  Production-wise this album sounds much more like an alt-country album like Cardinology meeting the new/old style of Brian Williams on Smile.  It’s something that’s been done before but Son of the Sun adds something that puts them apart from the pack.  The problem is I can’t pinpoint it.  Where many rocker/country acts find themselves in Nashville and neu-surfer bands in California and Brooklyn, Son of the Sun hails from Buffalo, New York.  If you’re not familiar with the musical history of Buffalo don’t worry, most people aren’t.  It ranges from Ani DiFranco to the Goo Goo Dolls to Cannibal Corpse.  How the hell did Son of the Sun find their sound amongst so many odd bands?  Either way I’m glad they found it.  Son of the Sun is a band that has a defined style but is ready to rewrite it at any time.  Listening to The Happy Loss is like listening to a melting pot of my music collection - soulful songs, hard-hitting guitar riffs, and that surfer girl sound washing over everything.

Posted by Amy Dittmeier on Sep 21, 2010 @ 10:10 am

Their Bated Breath - Album Review

ON YOUR RADAR: Son of the Sun is a band that won’t be toiling in regional obscurity for long. Zak Ward coos softly, sounding a bit like Coldplay’s Chris Martin. His band will undoubtedly receive all kinds of comparisons, from Interpol to The Kinks and the Kings of Leon. But maybe Son of the Sun more closely resemble a combo of Brit-rock and San Francisco’s Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. This Buffalo, N.Y band is built around Ward’s gorgeous voice, layers of textured harmonies and lots of guitar delay. The most impressive thing about Son of the Sun’s new record, “The Happy Loss”, is how comfortable it all sounds, considering the number of genres the band pulls together. They mix Americana, psychedelia, alt-country and guitar-groove rock with a garage-rock sensibility. Sometimes the kitchen-sink approach makes an album feel like it isn’t unified. But this doesn’t happen on “The Happy Loss”. Son of the Sun have melded all those elements into their own unique style. This is a band with serious commercial appeal, that still maintains a high level of songcraft. Ward sings achingly about relationships, loss and love: “And I will take you out tonight / Wear your leopard-print / And I will sing the song for us / I haven’t tired of that yet / I hope you’re not tired of that yet.” The album-closer “Tell Me” might be the only misstep on this record. It’s a 50s-styled slow-waltz closer with chimes, that feels lyrically light and a bit too perfect of an album wind-down. But that’s hardly a complaint. This is a great debut album.  
– David D. Robbins Jr. (Artwork uses band cover photo.)

From Son of the Sun Blog