Sleepy Sun

Here's a heaping helping of pretty good psych rock from California's Sleepy Sun. The new album Spine Hits came out last week on the ATP label. it's the first since singer Rachel Fannan left the band, and most of the reviews have been calling that out as a weakness.

For instance, Prefix said, "Most notably Spine Hits displays a tremendous shift in sound, particularly with ethereal female vocalist Rachel Fannan leaving the band. While Constantino’s vocals are pleasant to listen to, the combination of both male and female vocals were a marvelous centerpiece in preceding albums Embrace and Fever. Fannan’s newfound absence from Sleepy Sun jolts the dedicated listener, like being caught unexpectedly in an empty room. Well-intentioned wanderlust that leans more toward aimless ambling, Spine Hits feels too spacious, lacking the depth that both Fannan’s swelling vocals and improvised jams filled with the band’s two previous releases."

Personally, I like it. The CD's been giving me a pretty heavy Mercury Rev vibe, as well as a kind of organically tripped Black Mountain feeling. It's got that dark but sunny thing going, if you know what I mean. The NME called it "bantamweight Fleet Foxes," but what do they know?

Check out "Stivey Pond" at Consequence of Sound.

And there's this:


They are in the midst of a pretty extended tour, too, if you're into the live thing:
04 16 12 Buffalo / Mohawk Place
04 17 12 Cleveland / Beachland Tavern
04 18 12 Cincinnati / MOTR Pub
04 19 12 Detroit / Majestic Garden Bowl
04 20 12 Chicago / Subterranean
04 21 12 St. Louis / Off Broadway Night Club
04 22 12 Oklahoma City / The Conservatory
04 24 12 Austin / Mohawk Austin
04 25 12 Houston / Orange Show Center for Visionary Arts
04 26 12 New Orleans / Siberia
04 27 12 Atlanta / The 529
04 28 12 Raleigh / Kings Barcade
04 29 12 Washington / DC9
05 01 12 Iowa City / The Mill
05 02 12 Milwaukee / Cactus Bar
05 03 12 Minneapolis / 7th St. Entry
05 04 12 Fargo / Aquarium
05 05 12 Winnipeg / Lo Pub and Bistro
05 05 12 Winnipeg / Lo Pub and Bistro
05 06 12 Sakatoon / Amigo's
05 07 12 Edmonton / New City Legion
05 08 12 Calgary / Broken City
05 08 12 Calgary / Broken City
05 10 12 Vancouver / Lucky Bar
05 12 12 Seattle / The Barboza at Neumo's
05 13 12 Portland / Mississippi Studios
05 13 12 Portland / Mississippi Studios
05 18 12 San Francisco / Independent