Sunset Valley
Goldbank 78 Stack
In Music We Trust
Flashback to the early ’80s. Disco was fizzling, new wave was hitting its stride and hair was growing up as groups began fumigating themselves with hair spray. Now go to the back alley clubs. The ones showcasing R.E.M., Stiff Little Fingers and The Misfits, and shunning anything that was considered popular. That is where you would find Sunset Valley. Goldbank 78 Stack is an album that introduces old-school punk to a generation that believes that Green Day and Blink-182 invented the genre, and thus gives this generation a true alternative to bands like Nickelback and Switchfoot.
Sunset Valley incorporate a nice blend of psychotic punk and intricate slower tracks. The album opens with the title track, which begins a lot like Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box,” with the soft electric guitar lead-in that explodes into a chorus that kicks my shit so hard. Lead singer Herman Jolly sounds eerily like IMA Robot’s crazy-voiced vocalist Timmy Anderson. “Candy Stairs” has a White Stripes likeability and catchiness that is becoming increasingly hard to find, while on “Pull the Trig” they tone themselves down yet still manage to keep the intensity that envelopes the entire album.
Sunset Valley have perfected the diverse album. With slower, melancholy tunes mixed in with hyperspastic ones, Goldbank 78 Stack is an album that should satisfy anyone with an appetite for diversity. It is an absolute must for anyone who yearns for indie music from the good ol’ days.
Sunset Valley: http://www.sunsetvalley.com
