album review: Sundress' Fever

I remembered the sound of deep longing in Sundress' song 'In the Reflection' when I first heard them play at the NX35 conferette, and the chorus has haunted me ever since. It's clear that the members of Sundress are old souls with young hearts, a refreshing combination that is especially apparent in that particular tune. Very rarely does one song have such a long lasting effect on me, making me wonder about the other songs Sundress had to offer.

I wasn't disappointed: this is an incredibly bright group of musicians that seem to be making all of the right moves, and their new album Fever is a direct reflection of that. I was completely transfixed by the ethereal guitar effects, thoughtful lyrics, and the soft heartbeat of the drums. The bass line is minimalist but not boring, and the overall mood is reminiscent of early Radiohead and Grizzly Bear. Each of the seven songs on the album contains these same musical elements, but it is the way that they combine and tweak these elements that makes this album so good. Sundress isn't about singling out a particular voice, but about the conversations those voices have together.

The album begins with 'Dream Curl', a sublimely transcendent tune with a gossamer-thin crescendo over the vocals that accents the masterful phrasing of singer Ryan McAdams. The intensity and musical complexity of 'Locust' takes the album a step further, with a seemingly serene melody with just enough foreboding chord changes to keep you from getting too comfortable.
'Two Tone' sounds like a far prettier version of Modest Mouse's 'Blame it on the Tetons'. This song is gorgeous and dreamy, a song that you can imagine drifting off to sleep to as Sundress played under your window on a warm spring evening.
'Islands' quietly broods to sleigh bells before transitioning to an elegant ballad, only to arrive back at the original melody.
'Stellas' was written in a style similar to that of Built to Spill, an indie power anthem that stands out because of the heavier presence of the drums. The title track 'Fever' is extra-special, not just because of its use of 5/4 time but because it concludes the album with a grand finale of cymbal crashes and a driving guitar line that are unlike anything else on the album. 'Fever' is the perfect exit music because it reinforces all of the ideas of the preceding tracks while giving us a little taste of something different that leaves us wanting just a little bit more.

Buy Fever on iTunes or hit up the band on their Facebook page for a copy.