Sunfall Festival - Monday 23 (self release) 11 out of 12
4/11/01

www.fakejazz.com

I first heard Sunfall Festival at a small cafe in Utah five years ago. At that time I was more impressed with the band's sound and musicianship than I was with the actual songs. I was instantly drawn in by the beautiful rich tones coming from guitarist Scott Wiley's amplifier, and the finesse with which he played. Drummer Chris Peterson's playing reminded me of Seam drummer Reg Shrader (one of my favorite drummers), and Amy Greetham's voice had such an appealing timbre.

Fast forward five years, to the first time I heard Monday 23, Sunfall Festival's latest release, and it is the songs that have left me so impressed I haven't taken it out of my CD player for a week. Don't get me wrong, Scott Wiley (who also engineered the album) still has amazing ability to get gorgeous sounds, not only out of his guitar, but also out of every instrument and voice on the recording. His guitar playing has also only gotten better with time. It has a real intricate detail. Monday 23 also finds the rest of the band in top form musically, and Amy Greetham's vocals have only gotten stronger. Which all adds to the greatness of the songs, but isn't the reason they're great.

The songs, rather than following typical verse chorus song structure, seem to weave their own natural course, being guided by Greetham's shimmering vocals. Greetham's lyrical content also shows a real introspective depth and maturity.

There isn't an element of Monday 23 that seems lacking or out of place, from the tasteful string and horn arrangements to the cover art. Monday 23 is the most refreshing, and best thing I've heard yet this year. My initial response was to give it a perfect 12/12. The only thing stopping me is I've only had the CD a week. I feel that it needs to stand the test of time before it gets that perfect score.

Monday 23 will be available on Monday April 23rd on the bands website www.sunfallfestival.com and is most likely the band's last independent release, as they have just won a $250,000 recording contract from www.garageband.com (details are available on the band's website as well as garageband.com). Also available that day is 23b, a collection of remixes, b-sides, and outtakes spanning the band's career - which is something I also recommend.

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