Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor: Good Goddamn–Album Review
Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor: Good Goddamn–Album Review
Good Goddamn is the fifth release from Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor, an eclectic trio hailing from Detroit, Michigan. The band paints a joyful musical mural of nostalgic reflection and personal growth, contrasted at times by rebellious scorn.
As stated in the band’s press release for the album: “Good Goddamn is a poignant reminder of the truly bizarre times we are living in. It explores the belief that one can be thrilled that they are physically alive but emotionally they are entirely astray in the world. COVID-19 locked down halted early progress on recording and the band was forced to work on new approaches to writing and collaboration. The result led to the band’s most poignant and melodic record of their career.”
Good Goddamn is a jubilant, thematic release by SOYSV.
The album opens with the celebratory “She Makes a Great Parade,” an ethereal synth-soaked anthem infused with fuzz. Its catchy “why why why” chorus sets an elated tone for the album and recurs throughout it, surrendering to glorious guitar and triumphant trumpet.
“It’s Good To Be Alive” is punctuated by feedback and staccato power chords, evoking “Five to One” at times. After a rousing chorus, the song’s bridge reprises “She Makes a Great Parade” before resuming with singer-guitarist Sean Morrow’s Bono-esque crooning.
The album’s third and title track “Good Goddamn” is a snarling banger with a furious attitude and a rambunctious saxophone solo. The apologetic lyrics are delivered not with regret but with a sneer. The band projects long-simmering teenage angst and screaming rage typically expressed by musicians of a much younger age.
“Never Coming Over” is introduced in prog-rock fashion, with Moog-like synthesizers and rambling bass by Eric Oppitz. The bridge takes the song up a notch as the tempo accelerates with atmospheric psychedelia, then snaps back with its hooky chorus and matching lead guitar.
Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor is an ambitious band still striving to reach its full potential.
“Walk of Sobriety” begins with a trance-like synthetic rhythm that continues pulsating as the band joins in. With Floydian instrumental passages and afflicted lamenting voice, it serves as an ostensible tribute to The Wall. The song could even be mistaken as a cover rendition of a long-lost outtake from that classic album.
“Taser Blue” unexpectedly starts with an Eastern-tinged rhythm, complete with a talking drum and sounds of sitar. Its trippy tribalism quickly dissipates into a soulful, piano-driven torch song. The track’s two unique parts are brief and hasty and would be better served separately with longer arrangements.
Heavenly synths ring in “A Little Sweetness.” Its longing vocal melody is highlighted by a wandering bassline and Rick Sawoscinski’s punchy, snare-driven backbeat.
The acoustic guitar makes its sole appearance of the album on its final track “Specimen Jar.” A pleasant campfire melody, its “why why” singalong chorus is another callback to the album’s opening anthem. It dissolves into a frenetic drum corps beat, ending joyously with the repeated proclamation from the album’s second track “It’s Good To Be Alive.”
Good Goddamn is a jubilant, thematic release by SOYSV. The album’s first two tracks are especially emblematic and representative of the album’s motif. The band’s previous album, Lavender Blood, was influenced by a harrowing flight on their way back from their first European tour, in which the band “almost died” as recounted on their website. Some of Good Goddamn‘s tracks – specifically “It’s Good To Be Alive” – are similarly influenced by the pandemic, and perhaps by their near-death experience as well. As reflected in the album’s press release, “(t)he uncertainty of this time seeps into every track, setting up an emotional roller coaster that can be introspective and sublime at times, and anxious and psychotic at others.”
Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor is an ambitious band still striving to reach its full potential. The trio’s artistic skills are evident in their music as well. Good Goddamn‘s frenzied compositions express a relatable yin and yang of sanguine elation contradicted by sullen frustration. That contrast is well illustrated by the “good” versus “goddamn” in the album’s title. Overall, a solid release.
Good Goddamn is available on the Bandcamp along with their previous releases at https://sistersofyoursunshinevapor.bandcamp.com
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