Music Munchers - Blind by Sundays

Product Review
For bands like the Sundays that put out albums very infrequently (only three in eight years), passing fads cannot exert undue influence; consistency is the key to staying power. Thank God the Sundays never went grunge. On this, their second album, the forthright and spare power of their debut has ceded somewhat to lusher production values and more complex arrangements, but the good news is that the rest of the band's presence has caught up with Harriet Wheeler's crystalline voice. Together they produce such marvels as "Goodbye," "Love," and an off-kilter version of the Stones' "Wild Horses." The Sundays here sound like a more integrated musical unit, and for that reason Blind is the rare sophomore release that not only holds its own against the first album, but actually outperforms it. --Alan E. Rapp

The Sundays' debut "Reading Writing and Arithmetic" is a hard act to follow -- one of those gorgeous albums that only jack up expectations for the sophomore album. But "Blind" holds its own well against its illustrious predecessor with the same lush, mellow pop. Starting off with the soft, midtempo "I Feel," we get a taste of lush pop (the solid "Goodbye," "24 Hours," the thoughtful "God Made Me" transcendent ballads (the soft, dreamlike "Life and Soul," the melancholy "On Earth"), mild rockers ("What Do You Think?," "Love") and it's all topped off by a ethereal acoustic cover of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses." They say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Wisely, the Sundays obeyed that little nugget of wisdom for Album No. 2. "Blind" has much the same musical style as "Reading Writing and Arithmetic," but there's enough variation that it doesn't feel like a cash-in retread. In a nutshell, t's a bit more melancholy and less wistful. ("Peace love/Now what?/Don't go telling me you've had them...") The music this time around is a bit more polished and lush, but never EVER overproduced. It's simple and catchy, David Gavurin's wonderful guitar strumming backed by some solid bass and percussion. Harriet Wheeler's crystalline voice is sweet and clear, and in "Blind" she still has that wonderful heartfelt sound, meaning every syllable. The Sundays avoided the dreaded sophomore slump in "Blind," an album that nearly measures up to their phenomenal debut. Warm, sweet and vibrant, this is a solid collection of beautiful indie-pop. Comment | Permalink | (Report this)