Sonny & the Sunsets – “Broom & Dustpan” b/w “E.S.P.” 7” (Homeskillet)
Years ago, when a relatively small but respectable number of people fell in love with the music of The Bats, Unrest, The Clean, The Verlaines, Vomit Launch, Tiger Trap, Field Mice, and so on … primary among the reasons for that love was that these artists knew how to write a moving, mood-altering hook. More often than not, these bands were experts at what I like to call “blue hooks” – not necessarily melancholic on the surface, but the hooks were constructed using a progression of notes in which at least a couple combine in a melancholic way. What does this have to do with Sonny & the Sunsets? Well, that’s the problem. Nothing. S & the S’s makes pop that is the aggressive opposite of what constitutes real hooks, and this is a growing trend. The new crop of faux-positive pop bands, this one included, write TV jingles. The reasoning behind the ‘50s and early ‘60s influence you hear in much of this stuff is that these bands have no idea how to write a genuine heartfelt hook and cover up that fact with an obvious skiffle, ‘50s balladry, or otherwise public-domain melody. That’s the common ear’s idea of a hook. Both excruciatingly-mundane songs on this 7” felt like they lasted an hour. (http://www.homeskilletrecords.com)
(Andrew Earles)
