When Sun Airway starts playing, it would seem at first that someone starting playing some bonus tracks from Merriweather Post Pavilion that haven't been heard before, but no this isn't Animal Collective. The comparisons between the two are inevitable. Both have albums contain a very similar vein in electronic pop but Sun Airway isn't worth throwing off as a copycat album. Even if Sun Airway has been working on this album long before MPP was released, it is impressive to mention that it is one of the best (if not the best) albums to have been made drawing an influence from Animal Collective.
While the tone and instrumentals sound very similar, the vocals however, are not. The vocals by Jon Barthmus are fantastic. Barthmus has an extremely likable mid-range voice, and sounds alot like a croony Chris Martin, if Chris Martin had good lyrics to sing, which Bathmus does. The lyrics are some of the best I've heard recently, too many bands ignore the content of lyrics and instead strive for something that sounds catchy. Its reassuring listening to a song and hearing lyrics that are clearly thought out. "Put the Days Away" talks about just trying to make it from one day to the next and ignoring the pain with lines "Trying not to die is so taxing" and "Waking up is an exercise in trust".
All of the songs flow beautifully, most starting right where the other finished. "Infinity" opens the album, drenched in Sun Airway's synth sound, slowly building as it moves building into the sound and energy that carries the rest of the album. Many of the songs on this album are strong and worth listening to again and again, including the great "American West" and the single "Oh, Naoko".
While this album isn't perfect, some songs are much stronger than others, this is still an excellent first outing for a band. Despite comparisons to MPP, its not near as essential but it is something that should be heard. Its unfortunate that Sun Airway couldnt finish this album before MPP was released but it beyond a doubt better than any album that tries to emulate what Animal Collective has done, and Sun Airway has a very exciting future, and deserves a larger audience.
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