Search - Sunshine Fix :: Green Imagination (Bonus Dvd)

Opening The Third Ear

Meyrink | San Francisco, CA | 11/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Indy-rock," "low-fi," "neo-psychedelia" ... Green Imagination deserves better than the usual labels employed by music reviewers too lazy to do ought but compare and categorize, Bill Doss & cohorts deserve better--for all their association with The Elephant Six Collective (not to mention the inept comparisons to Sixties psychedelic pop the band continually suffers at the hands of apparently hearing-impaired or musically-uneducated critics/hacks [works like Magical Mystery Tour are often referenced by such clueless scribes who clearly ape one another`s ignorance]), Sunshine Fix consistently expresses an unique musical vision, one that defies the stamp and file of trend or genre.



As with their previous release (the excellent Age of The Sun), the Fix have concocted a heady brew of pop tunes both lyrically and melodically intriguing, and once again the production is as delightful and idiosyncratic as the songs themselves (in these dark days when so many recording artists have abandoned Songcraft in favor of mere Sound, the evocative compositions of Bill Doss are salient points of very-much-needed light). Whether all-out rocking, like the opening "Statues and Glue," or emphemeral dreamy-most, like the lysergically-blissful ballad "Innerstates," or pataphysically poignant, like "Enjoy The Teeth," with its heartbreaking piano and strings intro, each track is a polished gem, Doss & company pulling more aural tricks per song from up their musical sleeves than most bands do over an entire album. It is not only that mellotron, clavinet, gospel organ, dulcimer, flutes, strings, horns, mouth harp, childrens' choir & more are employed to embellish their tunes, The Sunshine Fix have an amazing knack of utilizing such instrumentation in just the right places and in just the right measure. The musical landscape of Green Imagination is always full, yet never cluttered, a magickal place where something new always waits 'round the next corner, and repeated listenings reward with previously unnoticed subtleties and textures (the listener's third ear growing ever more acute, unplugged by the magick contained within this music).



Perhaps many of these songs reflect a bit too much harmony and light to suit the artificial taste of nihilist-poseurs, but that also is one of the qualities that make The Sunshine Fix a very special musical entity indeed."

Reality as a Place We Can Be

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 10/31/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sunshine Fix's "Green Imagination" provides great pumping melodic indie rock. Bands like Beulah, Shins & Jonah would be kissing cousins. The opener "Statues & Glue" begins with a pounding drum and moves to tight harmonies and a ripping lead guitar, "See those standing in line, but who's got the time?" Then bang, it's over. "Runaway Run" is a whimsical track with a sweet acoustic guitar that blossoms into an orchestral piece complete with the Georgia Children's Choir, "If there ever comes a time when you can make up your mind, just find me, but until then, runaway, run." Other tracks are also strong such as the vocally distorted echo chambers used on "What Do You Know." "Extraordinary/Ordinary" boasts background vocals that could pep up a Dr. Pepper commercial; and just when you think it's going to get a bit too spacey, the driving electric lead wrenches its way back in and cranks the track forward. Songwriter and lead vocalist Bill Doss includes the wacko space noodling of "Innerstates" and then makes it into a glorious choral piece. "Afterglow" is a marvelous pop march that trounces through the melody. Shins-like, "Enjoy the Teeth" has Doss' piano defining the melody with violins and cellos making the piece float on the vocal, "It's important to see reality as a place we can be." Then they get to the middle of the song, throw that out, and start channeling Henry Mancini and Peter Gunn, which is part of the charm of Sunshine Fix, you don't know what to expect or what will come next. "Face the Ghost" sounds like a single aimed for Halloween airplay. The set closes with "Sunday Afternoon" that bubbles electrically. Kevin Evans does a wonderful job with the art graphics on the booklet, reflecting the highly creative latitude that this band allows itself. "Green Imagination" bursts with energy, joy and is crazy enough to intrigue. Enjoy!"