Sunfall Festival, Monday 23, ActionAttackHelicopter.com
1/19/02

" Monday 23" is the fourth record from Provo, Utah's Sunfall Festival, and could be their best work to date. The band has received praise from the likes of Late Night With Conan O'Brien (named one of the top 10 college bands of 1999), and Garageband.com (named #1 band out of 30,000 others) not to mention...me.

I had heard some of their earlier stuff, and was mildly impressed. Then I heard this most recent release and my breathe was taken away. Sunfall Festival has fully realized its sound and place in the indie music world; that of a truly wonderful indie rock/folk band with a splash of jazz.

I think that many people pass up full bands fronted by a female vocalist. For some reason, people tend to be more critical of female vocalists than they do of males, but fear not, for Sunfall Festival's Amy Gileadi has a plain but surprisingly beautiful voice.

Accompanying the amazing voice you will find intricate instrumentation by Scott Wiley (guitar), Chris Peterson (drums), George Brunt (bass), and Scott Johnson (keyboards), along with the appearance of some lush string arrangements and aptly-placed horns. Sunfall Festival really went all out for this one, making you think that perhaps they dipped into the $250,000 they won from Garageband.com, but they in fact, did not.

Almost three years in the making, "Monday 23" is a true showcase of the bands intuition, talent, and vision for the future of indie rock/pop. With tunes like "I Walked Away" and "Someone's Favorite Song", the band weaves a dreamy tapestry of beauty and grace. Recently the band has been giving away a CD of their unreleased material entitled "Monday 23b", but you will have to check their web site to see if this offer extends past Christmas.

This record is a must for fans of Ida, k., Cat Power, and dare I say it, Tori Amos. Check out their web site at: http://www.sunfallfestival.com. To order a copy of their record, visit the band's site or http://www.cdbaby.com

By J. Ryan Kee