When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.
Jimi Hendrix
Just shy of fifty years, on Friday, August 15, 1969, at 5:07 PM, when after a short introduction, Richie Havens launch into the first guitar chords of "From the Prison" ... reverberating over the electrically charged air afloat a 600 acres dairy farm near White Lake in Bethel, New York state ... forever changed music!
Band: Children of the Sün
Title: Flowers
Label: The Sign Records
Country: Sweden
Release date: July 26, 2019
Format reviewed: (high-rate) mp3 promo
Hop aboard the magic bus for a musical escapade into this sun-soaked mise en scène ...
Reigniting the free lovin' spirit of 1969's legendary Woodstock Festival, the Swedish hippies Children of the Sün, are set to release their soulful and psychedelic debut LP, "Flowers" on July 26, 2019, via The Sign Records. The eight-piece outfit, hailing from Arvika, Sweden, Children of the Sün embody both the carefree and reflective sides of classic rock music. Mixing blues rock with a feel-good folk/country vibe, their sound is retro yet fresh. In 2018, the band won the national finals of the Swedish music competition "Livekarusellen", played at various music events and festivals, and at the beginning of the summer they also released their record debut in form of a self-titled EP.
In recent years, Sweden was undeniably at the forefront of the retro rock movement, delivering many memorable listening experiences deeply rooted into the sound of the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the case of the forthcoming "Flowers", the retro effect is tangible right from the album's intro, with it's audible vinyl player pops, birds' chirps, bongos and strummed acoustic chords. Immediately transposing the listener fifty years into the past ...
The album's first single, "Her Game", second track on the LP, is further proof that the listener is witnessing music from a bygone era, not dated, yet lyrically vivid and musically captivating, clearly drawing from the essence of what Woodstock was all about. Perhaps a bit more folk oriented, and touching on psychedelic, the next track, "Emmy", showcases the unique delivery and tone of the band's female lead vocalist, the electric organ and, the lingering guitar solo and nuanced hooks. Listener is treated to a slight dose of vintage country, mainly due to the guitar hook and the slide guitar parts, on "Hard Working Man", a splendid example of songwriting chops and arrangement. Midway thru the song, the swinging percussion leads into a organ layered vocal choir. The fifth track on the album, "Sunchild"(exclusive premiere bellow) opens with a beautiful vocal A Capella, straight into a fuzzy guitar hook, later accented by piano chords and percussion. The beautifully crafty guitar hook of the album's intro makes a comeback into the title-track, a song with similar affinities to The Doors, with ample idyllic interludes, expressive melody and graceful execution balance. On the album's second to last track, "Like a Sound", the lovely electric organ work interlaces perfectly with the awesome vocal harmonies, again, layered with flawless guitar hooks and driven by percussion. The impressive album closer, "Beyond the Sun", brings back the country tinge with its brush shuffle drumming, harmonized vocals, subtle harmonica and array of acoustic stringed instruments, to escalate at the end of the track into an impromptu jam with the addition of the electric guitar and the omnipresent piano.
Exclusively on DENIM & LEATHER: "Sunchild" lifted from forthcoming LP, "Flowers"
Radiating tubes warmth and sweet harmonic distortion, Children of the Sün forthcoming debut LP, "Flowers", with its organic sound, proper songwriting and blissful production, it's a throwback to equally tumultuous, but perhaps less devious, times. Wear some flowers in your hair, embrace the cadence, let yourself go, and please don't forget to love one another! Highly recommended. 9/10
Children of the Sün
The Sign Records
© 2019 by Emil Chiru