Apollo Sunshine Shall Noise Upon You

It's rare, but sometimes a band actually makes the album you always wanted them to make. Not that what you wanted was anything specific, but somehow they hit that nail on the head. A natural progression from where they were then to where they are now, minus the identity crisis 90% of bands out there have from one album to another. This year, so far, that band is Apollo Sunshine.

They took an odd detour to get here, with 2003's Apollo Sunshine an unexpectedly southern-fried affair. It was, nonetheless, critically revered and the bar raised, though predicting which of their schizophrenic influences they'd exploit next would have been pure folly. Shall Noise Upon is definitely a return, of sorts, to the sounds that made Katonah so fresh in the first place. However, like the prodigal son, the band returning isn't the same one that set off into the wilderness. Their collective savvy is palpable as they craft beautiful sounds with intention and maturity. And too keep you on your toes, there are still moments of noise and homages to unexpected genres (gospel and dirty funk!).

There was awhile that I wondered if this album was ever going to happen. In the three years since Apollo Sunshine, the members had seemed more interested in DJing parties and clubs than touring/writing/recording. But here it is in digital, vinyl, and streaming form, the hard-copy to be released in less than a month. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Listen:
Breeze
Singing to the Earth (to Thank Her for You)
[from Shall Noise Upon|stream|buy]
Conscious Pilot
[from Katonah|buy]
The Bright Side
[Monty Python]