Are the ISIS beheadings funny? I don’t think they are. Either someone at Sonny & The Sunsets thought so, or the San Franciscan pysch-pop collective, led by Sonny Smith, are so removed from mainstream society they’re not aware of the widespread decapitations carried out by Islamic State. I say this because the original album artwork, that still features on the vinyl release, features a headless, white caftan-wearing figure holding a curved blade (scimitar) with a bloodied and decapitated figure before it – an Ashram is associated with Hindi culture but allusions to ISIS are difficult to ignore.
Musically, the album is ‘nice,’ which is really what Sonny & The Sunsets are about: pacifying pop tones reminiscent of The Zombies and overlaid by Smith’s similarly soothing vocals that tell twee tales of love and other adventures.
The title track Talent Night at the Ashram is a fine example of the above qualities as the lyrics tell tales of exploration and wonderment: “Dreamer left her suitcase on a train she took to Bombay / In her suitcase was a poem she wrote about The Northern Lights.” No mention of stories of beheadings.
Iceline’s Joke sees Smith doing his best Bob Dylan impersonation over the top of an instrumental backing straight off Flaming Lip’s 1999 instant classic Soft Bulletin.
This is great dinner party music for slightly alternative folk or for putting babies to sleep. That’s all.
BY DENVER MAXX
