Search - Sing-Sing :: The Joy of Sing-Sing

Experience the Joy

DJ Primate | Detroit, MI USA | 06/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I call it the "Wings effect," after Paul McCartney's exceptionally unexceptional post-Beatles outfit: the tendency of spin-off bands to be drastically inferior to the great bands that spawned them. In any case, I had been wondering what the surviving members of Lush were up to since they amicably disbanded following drummer Chris Acland's tragic suicide (which led me to wonder about Split's darkly hypnotic "Undertow" ever since). Then lo and behold, I saw a poster for an upcoming concert by Sing-Sing, featuring Emma Anderson of Lush. Would Sing-Sing fall prey to the dreaded disease? Soon after popping The Joy of Sing-Sing in the disk drive, any such notion disappeared into a cloud of heavenly dream-pop bliss.Expertly produced by Mark Van Hoen, this album features consistently first-rate songwriting by Emma and singer Lisa O'Neill. The music is ultra-melodic, atmospheric, bright, and multi-faceted: with a swirling mix of musical influences, leaning toward dream-pop, with elements of electronica, 60s pop and lounge music, 80s synth-pop, psychedelia, and even a bit of progressive rock in the mix. Some might find the girlish vocals a bit too cute, but I think they complement the music just fine. Each song has a very distinct sound, and there's not a throwaway among the lot. One standout track, the driving & catchy "Tegan" - which, according to what I've read, means "beautiful little thing" in Cornish - is quite beautiful, with a driving rhythm that really moves it along. It would be a perfect radio-friendly pop song, except for the ripsaw backwards guitar solo that would fit right in one of Lush's edgier pieces. Interesting twists and turns abound, e.g., the accordion-synth break in the beautifully dreamy "I'll Be" that evokes a French café ambience; and the well-crafted backwards (?) choral vocal interlude in "Me and my Friend." Such pop artistry brings to mind Elvis Costello's similarly brilliant worst-seller, Imperial Bedroom, albeit with less lyrical emphasis and a sunnier disposition. Not to say the lyrics are weak, by any stretch: they're intelligent and well crafted in an understated way; but the heavenly melodies are what make this album truly stand out.This album lives up to its name and then some. If you seek dream-pop bliss, experience The Joy of Sing-Sing."

Worth your money...

Richard S. Smith | Los Angeles, CA United States | 04/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sing-Sing is a partnership between Emma Anderson from Lush and Lisa

O'Neill, who's vocals are reminiscent of Toni Halliday from Curve. I

never much cared for Curve (but I *loved* Lush), so I had a bit of a

chip on my shoulder when I bought this CD.



Bottom line is - the partnership works. Emma shows the spark that

gave Lush it's one-of-a-kind sound and there are two songs on this CD,

namely "Tegan" and "I Can See You" which stake out some really new

sonic territory just like Lush did (note that I did not say they sound

like Lush - they are more in an Industrial mode, you really have to

hear them to understand).



The remainder of the CD has a few good tracks, some of which will

remind you of early 90's shoegazing and others like "Panda Eyes" are a

shot of pure 80's synthpop nostalgia. Hope you get the point, this CD

is a mixed bag, a bag of tricks for those of you who like this sort of

thing... You know who you are..."