After two EPs, one released in 2009 and the other in 2010, the band Sunsets and Hearts have unleashed their first full-length entitled
Altered Faze. As the leader of the project, Car Gonzalez used music as a natural form of expression for the events in his life during the later portion of 2010.
Altered Faze is a snapshot into Gonzalez's state of mind during that time, he has written that he made the LP with "how [he] truly felt at the time", which gives such a release much more meaning. Thus, it also provides a kind of narrative, one which seems as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. Many of the songs on
Altered Faze deal with an idea of love, an idea which becomes referred to in the past tense during the album's progression. "In this visible light, I hope it brings us closer now" is sung in the album opener "Crystal Prisms V Visible Light", "I put my touch on your skin, it's all I need, it's all I'm worth, 'cause I'm yours" is stated later on "Col0ur Collider", while Gonzalez says "You were gorgeous, I was so alive...I miss you too" on the final track "Nesia Noir". The evolution of a relationship is there, but we never really learn how it finishes, which is interesting considering the "I miss you, too" lyric in "Nesia Noir", a statement that implies there still is some reciprocation for his feelings. What's great about the album is taking these concepts and comparing them against the instrumentation, which creates a spacey landscape of brooding guitar lines and pronounced drum beats. Occasionally there is an interesting contrast against all of these aspects; the utilization of synths and electronics, something that adds a surreal or alien feel to this world in
Altered Faze. With such an added texture one must ask, was it a dream? Was it all too good to be true? The audience may never know for sure. Either way, Car Gonzalez engineers a fantastically thought out and pure album with magnificent storytelling. He deserves a lot of credit for such an engaging listen. Check out "Memories of an Apparition" and "Replica" below, then run over to
Bandcamp to grab the album. He also has a
homepage for more info.
Replica
Memories of an Apparition
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