Human Ceremony was released in early
February, and, from then until November it was definitely my favourite album of
2016. It was pipped at the last by a
late entry. Not by much, though: usually
it’s clear which album will top this list when I come to write it, but, this
year, I agonised over the top spot for ages.
Human Ceremony was ultimately a
very, very close second. Capturing the energy of their live show (they
were thrilling in close quarters in Bristol in September), while at the same
time not being afraid of some pretty serious production value, Sunflower Bean knock it out of the park
on their debut. The New York three-piece
mix swirly psychedelia with a brand of post-punk that has its roots in Hüsker Dü and Fugazi. Julia Cumming’s ethereal
vocals are juxtaposed brilliantly with Nick Kivlen’s New York punk drawl: a
vocal contrast that significantly shifts tone across the album and even within
songs. The musicianship is outstanding too, and there’s a likable swagger to go with it.
Post-punk,
psyche-rock and a dab of classic power-pop are all blended together here to
make something great. The opening title
track whirls and shifts, ‘Wall Watcher’ is a scuzzy bass-led tale about a stalker and
album best ‘I Was Home’ is a dance-tastic call-and-response pop song. Human Ceremony
is hugely inventive, but also keeps half an eye on the classics (albeit
classics from a range of genres). Sunflower Bean, like Sego, arrive fully formed on a debut that
overflows with ideas. Indeed, I’m still
not convinced that this isn’t my album of the year. In the end I just had to pick one from two: and
it came down to the fact that there is one weak(er) track on this record. ‘Creation Myth’ is, unfortunately, a little
plodding (albeit that it’s hardly ‘bad’).
That one minor blip aside, the other ten tracks are essentially all perfect. A must buy.
sample track: Human Ceremony