Local CD roundup: Daughters Of The Sun, Ice Palace
Adam Bubolz
Daughters Of The Sun
Ice Palace, Wonder Subtly Crushing Us
(Earthology Records)
Up until now, Craig Minowa's Earthology Records was a one-band label—Minowa's own group, Cloud Cult. But local quintet Ice Palace makes an excellent addition to the Earthology roster: Like Minowa, singer/guitarist Adam Sorensen is a gifted writer of perceptive and emotionally revealing songs, but Ice Palace's brooding, contemplative angst couldn't be more different. Wonder Subtly Crushing Us, the band's second album, benefits from the layer-upon-layer production brought by Minowa, with "Devils Tower" building into a soaring crescendo. But the key to the wonders of Wonders is Sorensen himself. The world-weary heft in his vocals is perfectly matched to the material he writes, which is introspective and a little sad without being bitter. Songs like "Thoughts/Facts" aren't jaded or pessimistic, but the down-but-not-out declarations of someone who's been dealt his share of bad hands and still refuses to give up hope: "You might leave me tomorrow … we might pull this all together, just have to see how things go."
Grade: B+
Upcoming show: April 23, Varsity Theater
(Earthology Records)
Up until now, Craig Minowa's Earthology Records was a one-band label—Minowa's own group, Cloud Cult. But local quintet Ice Palace makes an excellent addition to the Earthology roster: Like Minowa, singer/guitarist Adam Sorensen is a gifted writer of perceptive and emotionally revealing songs, but Ice Palace's brooding, contemplative angst couldn't be more different. Wonder Subtly Crushing Us, the band's second album, benefits from the layer-upon-layer production brought by Minowa, with "Devils Tower" building into a soaring crescendo. But the key to the wonders of Wonders is Sorensen himself. The world-weary heft in his vocals is perfectly matched to the material he writes, which is introspective and a little sad without being bitter. Songs like "Thoughts/Facts" aren't jaded or pessimistic, but the down-but-not-out declarations of someone who's been dealt his share of bad hands and still refuses to give up hope: "You might leave me tomorrow … we might pull this all together, just have to see how things go." Grade: B+
Upcoming show: April 23, Varsity Theater
Daughters Of The Sun, Rings
(Modern Radio)
Daughters Of The SunPsychedelic music flowers anew every few years, sprouting from the seeds blown about the world that originally germinated in the 1960s in the Bay Area, Woodstock, and Krautrock-friendly German cafes. Each time it evolves a little, so that the Animal Collective beat of our decade is comparable to its predecessors and a fresh take on the old ways. Add a new bursting bud to this garden with Minneapolis combo Daughters Of The Sun's second full-length, Rings. The album's casual, amateur groove mostly follows the modern, post-millennial school of sprawling, jam-oriented psych, with the repetitive percussion and foregrounded texture that it implies. To its credit, though, Rings shows that Daughters Of The Sun can also create more polished, memorable songs, including “Real Touch” and “Rings.” The band seems to love nothing better than a long, sprawling soundscape, with several tracks clocking in at six to eight minutes—and a ballsy and intriguing, if eventually overlong, 15 minutes is given to the almost formless "Field Recordings: India '08." If indulgent, it's also a good indication of Daughters' potential, and how their sound will continue to blossom.
Grade: B+
Upcoming show: April 25, Hexagon Bar
(Modern Radio)
Daughters Of The SunPsychedelic music flowers anew every few years, sprouting from the seeds blown about the world that originally germinated in the 1960s in the Bay Area, Woodstock, and Krautrock-friendly German cafes. Each time it evolves a little, so that the Animal Collective beat of our decade is comparable to its predecessors and a fresh take on the old ways. Add a new bursting bud to this garden with Minneapolis combo Daughters Of The Sun's second full-length, Rings. The album's casual, amateur groove mostly follows the modern, post-millennial school of sprawling, jam-oriented psych, with the repetitive percussion and foregrounded texture that it implies. To its credit, though, Rings shows that Daughters Of The Sun can also create more polished, memorable songs, including “Real Touch” and “Rings.” The band seems to love nothing better than a long, sprawling soundscape, with several tracks clocking in at six to eight minutes—and a ballsy and intriguing, if eventually overlong, 15 minutes is given to the almost formless "Field Recordings: India '08." If indulgent, it's also a good indication of Daughters' potential, and how their sound will continue to blossom.Grade: B+
Upcoming show: April 25, Hexagon Bar
