Sun Airway - Nocturne Of The Exploded Crystal Chandelier
- Written by Alex Kavanagh
Philadelphia’s Sun Airway are currently touring their debut album, Nocturne of the Exploded Crystal Chandelier across the states on the back of some very warm critical feeling, and after listening through the tracks on offer here, it’s easy to see why.
The production pulls all the right strings and presses the right buttons. Sumptuous synths and a twinkling wall of sound build an elegant and detailed soundscape. Veering dangerously close to overproduction at times, they do, for the most part, curb these tendencies, utilising hazy summer colours and muted dubstep drum patterns to paint a picture of affectionate bedroom pop that always remains hopeful.
Lines of a similar hue can be drawn from Animal Collective, Sigur Ros and MGMT amongst others, but the major difference here lies in the lead vocals. While other comparable artists often tend to favour idiosyncratic falsetto, Jon Barthmus’ voice is far more reminiscent of indie rock singers from the last decade, even doing his best Chris Martin impression in places. This serves to ground the record a little, and I still can’t decide if that’s a good or a bad thing. This conventional singing style helps to highlight the words, which may be a little syrupy for some, as on the opening track: “Remember we exploded in the desert / A mirage of 1000 halos / Landing in sand / Drowned in the moonlight hour.” In context though, it fits like a glove.
Many musicians may baulk at being referred to as “good background music”, although it isn’t always a fault. Nocturne doesn’t demand your attention; rather it gently strokes the back of your neck. It’s the kind of album you can put on and forget it’s playing, in the nicest possible sense, until it leaves you feeling like a warm blanket has been pulled off you when it ends.
A mention must also go to the cover art, which while marking me out as a “mature” music-lover for being interested in artistic direction as well as file size, is a beautiful image nonetheless and deserves to be seen! Ultimately, this is pleasing without being exceptional; a consistently good album with moments of beauty that lift it beyond the everyday and into the slipstream of music that makes the world a little brighter. Sun Airway are certainly one to watch.