Shakespeare once asked ‘what’s in a name?’ and we all remember that in his conclusion that name was irrelevant. The Sun Aesthetic dares to challenge this belief. The moment I heard the opening notes of ‘Decadence’ I had images from Danny Boyle’s ‘Sunshine’ under my eyelids. Sun literally beams from every composition on ‘Thicker Threads’. I can’t help but see everything soaked in sunlight every time the notes hit my eardrums and the trick lies in, nomen omen, the aesthetic of Anthony Raad’s music. Just to give some context – he’s a multi-instrumental, self taught artist and The Sun Aesthetic as a project came to life in 2010. ‘Thicker Threads’ is his third full album.
The mentioned ‘Decadence’ brings a scenic opening, with steady and muted percussion in the background adding some majesty to the gentle strings and piano. It’s this sort of musical landscape that immediately takes you to a completely different space and time. The high piano notes literally sparkle. If I was to soundtrack a movie with this composition the scenery would be a sunrise on board of a spacecraft – utterly epic, overwhelming, blindingly bright. Raad’s first instrument were drums and they very skilfully set the tone and tempo of every composition, at the same time giving all the other instruments their place in the spotlight. ‘Momentum’ shines with some more sparkling sounds of vibraphone. ‘Embers’ has probably the most distinctive melody emerging after a very dramatic percussion intro – again it’s the single piano keys that light up the notes, first distant and muted, then close and clear as crystals. ‘Fractures’ surprise with a funky undertone.
To be completely honest – the album as a whole is an experience. It’s really hard to pinpoint the highlights – when the music is built on beautifully shining high tones, every composition is a highlight. The percussion works with them creating shifts, building up momentums and painting the musical scenery. The Sun Aesthetic’s niche in the post rock and ambient scene is the uplifting and joyful one. When I first listened to it, it reminded me of studio recordings of God Is An Astronaut – very soft and melodic (completely opposite to their live performances), the kind that you put on when you just want the music to make you happy. It keeps taking my mind to various places – an animated short movie ‘The Cathedral’ by Tomek Bagi?ski, an iPhone/iPod game ‘Swords & Sworcery’ soundtracked by Jim Guthrie (both of which I highly recommend to anyone), ‘Sunshine’ mentioned before… ‘Thicker Threads’ is an album with a rare ability to stimulate the listener’s imagination, captivate them in the sound and feed light into their minds.
I know I brought up some comparisons and possible inspirations already, but the moment when I realised how truly unique The Sun Aesthetic is, was when I put my iPod on shuffle (which I do only under special circumstances). Whether we like it or not – music from the instrumental / post rock / ambient shelf has a tendency to sound very alike and it’s easy to classify new artists as the ones inspired by Mogwai or Explosions In The Sky and so on. The moment The Sun Aesthetic came on there was no doubt about what I’m listening to. Anthony Raad’s aesthetic of sun (to follow up Will Shakespeare reference) is one of a kind and instantly distinctive. Absolute must have.
Out now on Oxide Tones.
Posted by Magda Wrzeszcz.
